Project S-boy
by A-ko Fanfics
Summary: Some swearing, nudity, and naughty tentacles; it's not hentai but it is suggestive.
1. Chapter 1: Meetings

This is a work of fanfiction. Superboy, Knockout, Tana Moon, Rex and Roxy Leech, Triad, and Jason Blood are all copyrighted by DC Comics and are not used with permission. Project: A-ko, A-ko herself, B-ko, C-ko, Asa, Kei, Graviton City, Graviton High School for Girls, the Akagiyama 23, and the Spaceship Hotel are all copyrighted by Soeishinsha/Final-Nishijima and Central Park Media and are *also* not used with permission. Olkon is my character, but I don't care what you do with him. Dress him in a tutu--he deserves it! :) This story may be posted and distributed freely--just don't monkey with my text, especially this heading. Got it? Good. I like comments, so send any you might have to David Outram at hkoutram@hsonline.net Flames shall be treated with the derisive laughter they deserve. Thank you.  
  
Superboy and Project: A-ko  
Chapter One: Meetings  
  
  
Superboy watched the approaching figure with admiration. It belonged to a tall, statuesque woman in a green, skintight outfit. As the woman got closer, it dawned on Superboy that recognized the costume. Reluctantly, he tore his eyes from her torso and looked at her face.  
  
"Knockout!" he exclaimed. "What are you doin' here?" He glanced at the artifact he was charged with guarding, and added under his breath, "Or is that a stupid question?" He urreptitiously braced himself for combat. Knockout noticed, however, and grinned. "Relax, pup. I'm on your side, now, remember? I just came over to help you guard this moldy old book," she said, gesturing at the tome she referred to. She gave him a broad wink. "Your track record as a guard hasn't been very good, at all."  
  
Superboy scowled. "Y'know, you reminding me about that isn't gonna exactly set me at ease." Superboy had first met Knockout when she stole the Spear of Lono from a museum when Superboy was guarding it.  
  
"Hey, I only stole the damn thing 'cause I wanted a good brawl," Knockout grinned. "You sure gave me that."  
  
Superboy grimaced, remembering. That fight had left him aching for days afterward. "So why do you wanna help me? Guard duty's boring as hell. Believe me."  
  
She shrugged. "It beats the hell out of hanging around your place, being ogled by Leech." Rex Leech was Superboy's "business manager". Slimy didn't *begin* to describe him.  
  
Superboy, distracted by the effects of Knockout's shrug on her torso, was slow in answering. Remembering himself, he again raised his eyes. "What the hell," he decided. "Oughtta be more interesting than sittin' here by myself."  
  
Knockout agreed heartily. "Oh, I'm sure we can find ways to make this a *lot* more interesting," she purred.  
  
Superboy shifted uncomfortably. Contrary to his image, he wasn't out to score with every woman he met. He was deeply in love with Tana Moon, and didn't want to do anything to damage their relationship. While he saw nothing wrong with staring and flirting, anything more   
was out, in his book. He was well aware that Knockout wanted *much* more.  
  
"C'mon, Knockout, we've discussed this before," he said in a pleading tone.  
  
Knockout caught the tone and relented. "Oh, all right," she grumbled. "Have it your way." She was pushing too hard, she realized. She needed to ease up, or risk losing him for good. _I'm not used to competing for a guy,_ she thought. _It was always the other way around, before. Before I met Superboy._  
  
She mentally ticked off her rivals. Tana Moon, of course, was at the top of the list. Superboy had made no secret of his feelings for her. Knockout wished she could figure out a strategy to eliminate her as a factor, but the only thing she could think of was drop-kicking Moon into the nearest active volcano. She didn't think Superboy would be too well-disposed toward her after that, so she resolved to keep thinking about it.  
  
The rest of the list was easier to deal with. Roxy Leech, Rex Leech's daughter, had thankfully resigned herself to more of an "older sister" role in Superboy's life, so was no longer in the running.  
  
The various teenyboppers in Superboy's high school were also no threat, as he obviously preferred older women.  
  
She had also caught references to some girl from the 30'th century that had caught his eye. What was (will be?) her name? Dryad? No, Triad. Knockout saw no real problems, there, either. She knew from experience that long-distance romances never worked, and you   
couldn't get much more "long-distance" than a thousand years.  
  
_Enough of this,_ she told herself. _Talk to him._ "Does this book here have a name?" she asked, for lack of a better topic.  
  
"'The Book of Olkon' they said," Superboy replied. "I guess this 'Olkon' dude wrote it, or something."  
  
"You look inside?"  
  
"Nah. The dudes that briefed me said they had a specialist comin' in to take a look at it. Name of Jason Blood. What kind of a name is *Blood*? Anyway, accordin' to them, Blood said never to open the book."  
  
"He say why not?"  
  
"All I caught was somethin' about alertin' the 'original owner' to it's presence. I had other things on my mind at that point," Superboy admitted. Things such as a beautiful woman in tight jeans passing by.  
  
"I can imagine," Knockout commented dryly. "So what are you worried about? That book's gotta be a million years old! The original owner's dust by now." Knockout reached toward the tome.  
  
Superboy grabbed her wrist. "I don't think that's such a good idea, Knockout," he warned. "Why are you so interested in it, anyway? No offense, but you don't seem like the bookish type."  
  
Knockout couldn't explain her interest, but she didn't feel like admitting it, so she said, "A lot *you* know, pup! Maybe you should try to get to know me better, huh?" Shaking loose his grip, she again reached for the Book of Olkon.  
  
Superboy again tried to prevent her, but a shove sent him staggering. "What the hell?" he shouted. He flailed, but was unable to recover his balance in time to prevent Knockout from opening the book.  
  
As soon as she had done so, the compulsion left her. Superboy, regaining his balance, asked, "What the hell'd you do that for?"  
  
"I don't know," Knockout shakily replied. I just knew I *had* to open it, and no one was gonna stop me."  
  
"You serious?" Superboy asked.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"This is too weird," said Superboy. "Well, nothing seems to have happened. I guess it's okay."  
  
Just then, a chill wind blew through the room, and the lights darkened to a fitful glow. Peering through the gloom, Superboy and Knockout could see a swirling darkness a few yards ahead of them. The swirling coalesced into an inky-black hole in space, through which stepped a gut-wrenchingly hideous beast. It had a body that looked like a bloated cross between a toad and a pig, topped by the head of a lizard that had gotten too close to a garbage disposal unit. Waving   
around the thing like diseased seaweed were innumerable tentacles.  
  
"I've got a BIIIIIIIG mouth!" groaned Superboy.  
  
The monster spoke, in English, "Thank you for finding my book for me. I was beginning to think I would have to deal with the Conjuction without it." He turned to Knockout, who still had her hand on the book's cover. "Red Hair, by your action, you have earned my pleasure. You shall be my high priestess and consort when I rule the multiverse."   
  
"*Consort?!*" shrieked Knockout. "Uh-uh. No way. Pup, let's take this creep out."  
  
"I'm with you, KO," Superboy replied. He rose into the air and prepared for battle.  
  
The demon laughed; a cruel, terrifying sound. "Fools! I am *Olkon*! Most powerful of the elder demons. I have laid *worlds* to waste. What--"  
  
Olkon's tirade was interrupted by Superboy's, "Never heard'a ya! Now why don't you just go back through your little hole, and leave us the fuck alone?" _Well, it's worth a try,_ Superboy thought.  
  
Olkon was not amused. "You shall pay for your insolence, whelp. But for now, bide awhile and witness as I give my consort a taste of her many pleasures to come." His tentacles stretched toward Knockout. As they got closer, she saw that their tips looked disturbingly fam-  
iliar.  
  
"What's with those tentacles," Superboy whispered to her. "They look just like--"  
  
"Like dicks," Knockout finished. "I hope they ain't functional."  
  
The demon leered. "Oh, but they *are*. Extremely functional. I shall give you such exquisite pleasure with them."  
  
"The hell you will!" Knockout shrieked. She snagged two of the grotesque members and yanked with all her considerable strength. Despite her great strength, she did absolutely no damage as the tentacles merely stretched to accomodate her pull. Other tentacles started to   
wrap themselves around her legs and arms. "Damn!" she yelled. "SB! Do something!"  
  
Superboy was already in motion. He flew directly at the monster and slugged him in his deformed head. Olkon roared in rage as he flew backward withe the force of the blow. He was unable to maintain his grip on Knockout's body and she fell to the ground. Getting to her   
feet, she called, "Thanks, pup."  
  
"No prob, KO," Superboy replied, closing with Olkon again. "And don't call me--"  
  
The young hero's sentence went unfinished as Olkon's struck hard into Superboy's stomach. Superboy doubled over, gasping in pain, and the demon's followup strike smashed into his head. Dazed, Superboy slumped to the ground.  
  
Olkon grabbed him and held him aloft with four tentacles. "I should make you suffer days for your assault on me," the monster snarled. "But I haven't the time. The conjunction of planes is too close." The demon made some intricate motions, and a second black disk appeared in the space behind Superboy. "I banish you to another world," Olkon intoned. "May you never return!" With that, he hurled Superboy into the hole.  
  
Superboy only had presence of mind enough to yell, "Oh, shiiiiii..." as he disappeared.  
  
Olkon turned to Knockout, who was standing aghast nearby. "Now where were we?" he asked rhetorically, as his tentacles reached for her again.  
  
*****  
  
"Weekend!" yelled C-ko happily, bounding down the front steps to Graviton High School for Girls. "Two whole days to ourselves! Isn't it great? What should we do? We gotta do something *fun*! What do you want to do, A-ko?" As usual, her mouth was going a mile a minute.  
  
A-ko smiled tolerantly. C-ko was like this every Friday. Come to think of it, she was like this almost every day at some point. Brushing an errant lock of red hair out of her eyes, A-ko replied, "I dunno, C-ko. I hadn't really thought about it."  
  
"Well, we gotta do *something*," C-ko insisted. She adopted a look of intense concentration--the sort of look she never used in class. "I know!" she exclaimed at last. "Let's go on a picnic to-   
morrow! We'll sit in the park on a blanket and I'll cook lots of things to eat and--"  
  
A horrified A-ko interrupted, "Or maybe we can see a movie. There's a new cartoon from America you might like." C-ko loved American cartoons. A-ko didn't really care for them. They were almost all aimed at kids, and they always drew the eyes too small--you could hardly see them! But anything to get C-ko's mind off of *cooking*...  
  
"An American cartoon? Great!" C-ko enthused. "We can go there after the picnic."  
  
A-ko cringed. _After the stomach pump, she means,_ A-ko thought. _Sometimes you just can't win. And Dad wonders why I always stuff myself at dinner. After sleeping late and skipping breakfast, then lunch a la C-ko, it's the only meal I get to eat all day._  
  
C-ko's cooking was infamous for its inedibility. Even A-ko's cast-iron stomach couldn't keep it down. But that never stopped C-ko from regularly attempting to poison anyone who couldn't avoid it. As C-ko's best friend, A-ko was a frequent victim of C-ko's culinary terrorism. Only A-ko's superhuman endurance saved her from a horrible death.   
  
_If only refusing was an option,_ A-ko thought bitterly. _But the only thing worse than eating her food is dealing with her hurt feelings._ She sighed and made a mental note to smuggle some Pepto-Bismol to the picnic.  
  
Not that it would do any good.  
  
Her gloomy thoughts were interrupted when C-ko asked her, "Do you hear that?"  
  
A-ko hadn't been paying attention. "Hear what?" she asked. Then she heard it--a faint scream--sounded like, "...iiiiiiiiii..." A-ko stopped and cast about for the source.  
  
Abruptly a dark hole appeared directly before A-ko and the the scream increased in volume--"...iiiiiit!" A figure emerged from the hole at high speed and crashed into the wall behind A-ko, who had dodged barely in time.  
  
"Shit, that was close!" A-ko swore. "Who *was* that?" She turned toward the person imbedded in the wall just as it collapsed, burying him. All the two girls saw was a flash of red and blue clothing before he disappeared under the rubble.  
  
A-ko ran over to the former wall. "C'mon C-ko, we gotta get him out of there!" She began hurling slabs of concrete off of the pile (disrupting traffic and damaging property for miles around.) C-ko tried to help, but couldn't lift even the smallest piece, so she set-   
tled for cheering A-ko on.  
  
Asa, nearby, dove for cover, keeping her camcorder trained on the rescue effort. _B-ko's not paying me nearly enough for this,_ she thought. B-ko was a beautiful, spoiled rich girl in A-ko and C-ko's class. She considered herself and A-ko rivals for C-ko's affections. C-ko, however, was completely devoted to A-ko. This was totally lost on B-ko, who, under the assumption that A-ko was the only thing standing in the way of her desire, used her inventive genius and money to create a series of robots designed to defeat her rival. A-ko defeated them easily. B-ko finally came up with the Akagiyama 23, an extremely powerful battlesuit, which, while it covered very little of B-ko's body, nonetheless enabled her to fight A-ko directly. The massively destructive battle which followed interrupted without a decision when C-ko was kidnapped by aliens.  
  
But that's another story entirely. Since then, A-ko and B-ko's rivalry has simmered (with occasional destructive flareups, causing Graviton City's insurance industry to boom). B-ko has maintained a constant surveilance on her nemesis, using Asa and several other girls from their class.  
  
B-ko sat in her favorite chair, watching A-ko shift the pile of rubble on her monitor, but her mind was elsewhere.  
  
"Kei," she sighed to herself, feeling maudlin. "We could have been so good together. Why did you have to fall in love with C-ko?" She sighed again. Thinking of C-ko again, she raised her eyes to the monitor to view her other true love. As she did so, A-ko tossed aside the last slab (which landed on the Spaceship Hotel, causing its captain/owner to pitch an absolute fit.)  
  
B-ko glanced at the unconsious figure of Superboy thus revealed. Then looked again. She stared. "He's...gorgeous," she murmured. Kei? Who needed Kei?  
  
A-ko was also staring at the unconcious boy she had rescued, but her gaze was fixed on the stylized 'S' symbol on his chest. "Dad?" she whispered.  
  
*****  
  
Next Chapter: What happens to Knockout (attention hentai: don't bother--you'll be bored, really!). Also, A-ko takes Superboy home to meet her folks. Wonder what they'll talk about?  



	2. Chapter 2: He Followed Me Home--Can I Ke...

This is a work of fanfiction. Superboy, Knockout, Tana Moon, Rex and Roxy Leech, Triad, and Jason Blood are all copyrighted by DC Comics and are not used with permission. Project: A-ko, A-ko herself, B-ko, C-ko, Asa, Kei, Graviton City, Graviton High School for Girls, the Akagiyama 23, and the Spaceship Hotel are all copyrighted by Soeishinsha/Final-Nishijima and Central Park Media and are *also* not used with permission. Olkon is my character, but I don't care what you do with him. Dress him in a tutu--he deserves it! :) This story may be posted and distributed freely--just don't monkey with my text, especially this heading. Got it? Good. I like comments, so send any you might have to David Outram at hkoutram@hsonline.net Flames shall be treated with the derisive laughter they deserve. Thank you.  
  
S-boy and A-ko  
Chapter 2: He Followed Me Home--Can I Keep Him?  
  
  
Knockout stared with horror at the hole into Superboy had disappeared. "No," she whispered. Then she heard Olkon's, "Now, where were we?" and was reminded of her own plight.  
  
"You don't have time to torture Superboy, but you still have time to rape me?" she demanded incredulously, springing back out of range of his grasping tentacles.  
  
"I just want a quickie," replied the demon, leering. He lengthened his tentacles, and managed to coil one around the woman's waist. He quickly pulled her closer.  
  
"Geez, you sure know how to give a girl a good time," Knockout said sarcastically. She unwrapped the tentacle from her waist, but two more grabbed her legs before she could get away.  
  
"You will say that again and mean it when I am through," Olkon replied. He wrapped two more tentacles around her arms, and Knockout was immobilized.  
  
"Yeah, right," she spat defiantly, cursing the way her voice betrayed her growing fear.  
  
The demon ignored her. "Let's see what you've got," he said. He pulled her within range of his arms, and tore her costume asunder. "Very nice," he murmured, caressing Knockout's exposed breasts with one slimy member.  
  
Knockout shuddered in disgust. "Fucking pervert!" she gritted.  
  
"Very true," replied the demon. "I approve of honesty in my high priestess. But I tire of talk. Let's get down to business."  
  
Knockout opened her mouth to blast the monster with a stream of obscenities, but Olkon took this opportunity to thrust a tentacle into it, nearly making her gag.  
  
Knockout, had it been possible at this point, would have laughed at the demon's idiocy as she bit down with all her considerable strength, completely severing the offending member. Olkon screamed in pain hurling Knockout into the wall. She landed next to where Olkon's book lay, and felt a tingling as her bare arm brushed it. Spitting out the tentacle end, she staggered to her feet.  
  
"Eyech! Get me some mouthwash!" she muttered.  
  
"Bitch!" roared Olkon. "You need a lesson in humanity! Chosen or not, you shall pay for this affront!"  
  
"Oh, shit," Knockout said under her breath, and looked frantically for an exit. The only one not blocked by Olkon's bulk was the portal Superboy had been thrown through. _Good enough,_ she thought, running for it.  
  
Olkon, seeing her goal, began the motions necessary to banish the portal, but was too slow as Knockout dove through just before he completed his spell. The portal winked out behind her. "Damn her!" snarled the demon, cursing his slowness. _Oh, well,_ he thought. _I can deal with her after the Conjunction._ He made a mental note to do that, and to examine his book to  
see why the spell of subservience that was supposed to be cast on the Chosen had malfunctioned.  
  
Where was his book? It was gone!  
  
"The red-haired bitch! She must have taken it with her!"  
  
He'd chosen a random dimension. He had no idea where she or the book were now.  
  
"DAAAAAAAMMMMNNNN!!!!!!"  
  
*******  
  
Knockout emerged from the portal fifteen feet above ground level. She only had time for a surprised "Shit!" before she hit the asphalt below. Painfully getting up, she became aware of horns honking, and voices shouting in some foreign language. It seemed her entrance had caused a major traffic jam. She smirked. This wasn't the first time.  
  
Knockout scanned her surroundings. Almost everyone around was staring at her with wide eyes. Very wide eyes. Weird. She was used to being stared at, so she ignored them. She was more concerned with those people who were averting their wide eyes, or covering up the wide eyes of their kids.  
  
She had a horrible thought and looked down at herself. _Oh, shit!_ she thought. She was dressed only in her green boots, gloves, and domino mask. The rest of her was fully on display. While she had not too long ago made a living as a stripper, she had no desire to put on a free show. She quickly began to look for an alley to disappear into.  
  
She had just spotted one when a bus-load of gaudily-dressed tourists began aiming cameras and camcorders in her direction. Red with fury, she stalked over, and grasped the bus's undercarriage. Unintelligible catcalls turned into shouts of panic as she overturned the vehicle. Presenting her middle finger to the angry tourists, she turned and dashed for the alley.  
  
Once safely out of view, Knockout slumped against the wall behind some dumpsters. What was she going to do? Naked in some non-English-speaking country, on another *world* maybe, and visa, passport, or money. She hadn't seen Superboy when she had emerged from the portal, so he could be *anywhere* for all she knew. She sighed. When she had joined Superboy in guarding that damn book, she had envisioned an entertaining night of putting  
a few moves on his hot young body, or at least getting into a nice, destructive brawl. Instead, she had lost Superboy, almost gotten raped by the ugliest thing she had ever seen in her life, and ended up exposed naked in the middle of a busy street. Not the best day of her life. And all she had to show for it was some ratty old book that was...lying...at...her...feet.  
  
She stared at it. _It can't be,_ she thought. She bent down and looked closer. _It is,_ she finished, astounded. _Could I have picked it up without knowing? Maybe, but I don't think so. Well, let's take care of this for good._ She picked it up, again feeling the tingling sensation she remembered from the last time she touched the book. Being careful not to let the book fall open, she shoved it into the dumpster and buried it under some trash. _So much for that._  
  
Next thing to do was find something to wear. She crept to the alley's mouth and observed the passersby. The only problem with outfitting herself this way was finding someone close to her size. Knockout was well over six feet tall and not skinny. But she knew someone would be along presently.  
  
Knockout watched for nearly a half-hour before her victim arrived. She was a big, beefy girl--a little shorter and broader than Knockout, but she would have to do. Knockout checked that no one was watching, then made her move.  
  
Mari had walked this route to her dojo for years--so long that she could allow her body to travel on autopilot while she daydreamed. Thus, she was caught completely by surprise when the red-haired woman grabbed her from behind. A quick blow to the back of the head dazed Mari and left her vulnerable to her assailant's powerful follow-ups. The muscular girl caught only a blurred glimpse of her attacker's naked form before a final punch sent her to dreamland.  
  
Knockout, while disappointed that the fight was over so fast, wasted no time in stripping her victim of her school uniform. She decided to leave the underwear behind. She didn't really need it, anyway. She just had to be careful how she moved in her new skirt.  
  
Knockout dragged her victim's unconscious body behind the dumpster she had hidden behind earlier. She rubbed her arm where one of Mari's wild swings had connected. She'd have a bruise there tomorrow. _That girl's *strong*,_ Knockout thought with admiration. _Might have been a nice challenge, if I hadn't ambushed her. Ah, well. Maybe next time._  
  
She took Mari's purse and started going through it. _So much for my 'rehabilitation',_ she thought, smiling. _Only a week after partnering with Superboy, and it's back to petty theft. What *will* he think?_ She grinned. _Not that he's going to find out._  
  
She found some bills and change, Mari's student ID, several origami figures, and the usual array of items found in purses. She removed everything but the money and placed them next to Mari, under a handy lump of metal. She examined the bills, and saw they were marked with yen signs. _Must be in Japan,_ she observed. It didn't explain the huge eyes or the weird hair colors everyone here had, but at least she now knew what language everyone had  
been gabbling at her.  
  
Knockout stuffed the money back into the purse. She'd been here long enough. Time to move. She climbed a fire escape to the roof and made her way along a row of buildings before descending to ground level again.  
  
As she walked down the street, she pondered her dilemma She was certain Superboy was in this city somewhere. She wasn't sure how she knew, but she did. She needed to find him. Fortunately, given Superboy's love of publicity, Knockout knew that all she had to do was watch television, and sure as Olkon was ugly, she'd see him on the news eventually. Not knowing the language would make that difficult, but one problem at a time.  
  
She needed a base of operations. For that, she needed more money than she had gotten from Mari. She pondered, and came to a decision.  
  
A taxi was approaching. She hailed it, praying the driver could speak English. Luck was with her, and soon the cab was speeding downtown, toward Graviton City's seamier district.  
  
It was time to return to her old profession.  
  
*******  
  
Superboy came to with a pounding headache. Sensing light, he kept his eyes shut tight. He didn't *think* his head could possibly feel worse, but he didn't care to test his theory by opening them.  
  
Just then a feminine voice asked something incomprehensible. He cracked one eye open before he thought, and shut it immediately with a pained groan. It seemed his head *could* feel worse, after all. His quick glimpse showed him that he was lying in a bed somewhere, and that a red-headed girl was standing over him.  
  
"KO?" he asked. "Is that you?"  
  
"A-ko," the girl corrected, then added in poor English, "But you close. You know me?" She winced at her mangled words. English was not her best subject.  
  
A-ko had quickly realized that this couldn't actually be her father, of course. He was too young--about her age, in fact. Plus, she had seen her father just that morning, as she was on her way to school, and he had said nothing about visiting other dimensions today. He didn't do much of that ever since he had lost his powers, anyway.  
  
But, A-ko had decided to bring him home. She *had* to learn more about this boy who wore her father's old symbol and survived a wall collapsing on him. Plus, he obviously needed help. What else could she do? C-ko had agreed (and had declared the situation "cool"). C-ko had (over her protests) been sent on to her step-parents' house, where she was now struggling with the homework A-ko usually helped her with. Or, more likely, pushing it off until  
Sunday and reading manga instead.  
  
A-ko realized her patient had said something and asked, "[What did you say, again?]" reverting to Japanese.  
  
To Superboy this sounded like, "Nanny gobbledygook?" He sighed and grumbled, "Well, this conversation's goin' nowhere fast." Braving the light, he peered around the room for his jacket. Spotting it, he pointed it out to the girl asked, "Could you bring me that, please?"  
  
She cast him an irritated look, but rose to do so. Superboy wondered about that look until he realized he had spoken loudly and clearly, spacing each word, like a stereotypical arrogant bonehead American, dealing with those ignorant foreigners.  
  
A-ko, returning to the bedside with the boy's jacket, saw his look of chagrin and decided to forgive him. She smiled as she handed it to him. He nodded his thanks and began digging through the pockets. "C'mon, I know you're in here somewhere," she thought she heard him say. With her less-than-perfect English, she could have easily mistaken his words. If only he  
understood Japanese! It would save a lot of trouble.  
  
With a cry of triumph, her mysterious guest retrieved something from the folds of his jacket, and dropped the latter at his side. The former he took between thumb and forefinger and inserted into his ear. Then he smiled at A-ko and said, "[Okay, now we can talk.]"  
  
A-ko's jaw dropped. He was speaking fluent Japanese! Not even a trace of an accent!  
  
"[H-how d-d-did you-ou-ou...] A-ko began, stammering as she occasionally did when flustered.  
  
Her guest grinned and tapped his ear. "[Telepathic earplug. Picked it up a while back.]" A-ko still looked puzzled, so he explained, "[I don't have the faintest idea how it works. All I know is it can translate any language and lets me talk underwater and stuff. Anyway, as you might have guessed from the 'S']," he added, gesturing to the symbol on the back of his jacket, "[I'm Superboy. And you're--what'd you say?--A-ko?]"  
  
A-ko nodded. "[Yes. A-ko.]" She frowned. "[Now, how do you get off wearing my fath--um, Superman's symbol and taking his name?]" She cursed her slip, and hoped Superboy hadn't noticed. The fact that her father used to be Superman was supposed to be kept under wraps.  
  
"[Hey, I *earned* this 'S' and the name,]" Superboy protested. Then the import of A-ko's slip hit him. His eyes opened almost as wide as hers. "[You--Superman's your dad? No way! He's not even married yet!] he exclaimed, then added, "['Course, nowadays, that don't mean much.]" in an undertone. He continued in a normal tone, "[So, who's your mom? Lois?]"  
  
_Damn,_ thought A-ko. She considered. He seemed to know a lot about her father already, and seemed nice enough (a few personality flaws notwithstanding.) _What the hell. Tell him._ She said aloud, "[No, Lois Lane died before I was born. My mother's name is Diane.]" She hesitated, then added, "[You might know her better as Wonder Woman.]"  
  
"[Wonder Woman,]" Superboy repeated. "[That's not something I'd've figured. Wait a minute! How can Lois Lane be dead before you were born? I just saw her a few months ago, and she was very much alive then.] He suddenly remembered Olkon's words just before he blacked out--"I banish you to another world." He looked at A-ko. "[I think I just figured out the problem here. I'm not from this world.]"  
  
A-ko grinned. "[I kinda figured that out when you came out of the portal. Don't worry--I have nothing against aliens. My best friend is an alien.]" Then she had to explain C-ko and how she was an alien princess. She wound up practically telling Superboy their life stories (including comments about B-ko).  
  
"[A-ko, B-ko, and C-ko?]" Superboy asked incredulously. "[Is there a D-ko, E-ko, and F-ko around somewhere?]"  
  
"[What are you talking about?]" asked a confused A-ko.  
  
"[Never mind.]" Superboy sighed.  
  
A-ko opened her mouth to demand an explanation, but just then she heard the front door slam. "[A-ko, I'm home!] her father shouted.  
  
"[I'll be right down, Dad!] A-ko shouted back. She started for the door, then remembered her guest.  
  
A handsome young man.  
  
In her bed.  
  
In his underwear.  
  
Superboy marvelled as A-ko face turned the exact same shade as her hair. Suddenly, she darted across the room with unbelievable speed, leaving a whirlwind of teenage-bedroom-clutter in her wake. Snatching Superboy's battered costume from where it lay draped on a chair, she hurled it at him. While he attempted to untangle himself, A-ko said urgently, "[Putitonquickmy-dadohshit!]"  
  
Superboy, not aware until now of his state of undress and not quite ready to dress in front of A-ko, responded, "[What's the problem, babe? Supes and I are buds, really.]" Then he realized, _And I'm almost naked in his *daughter's* bed and he can seriously kick my ass._  
  
He had never gotten dressed faster.  
  
A-ko made an effort to calm down, and told Superboy, "[Wait up here. I'll call for you, okay?]"  
  
Superboy nodded nervously, and A-ko opened the door and stepped out. Leaving the door ajar, she descended the stairs to the living room, where her father was already relaxing with a magazine.  
  
"Hi, Dad. Have a good day at work?" she asked brightly.  
  
Kent Magami, chief editor at the Graviton City offices of the Daily Planet, grimaced. "The usual hassles. I much preferred reporting. I don't know how Perry could stand it all those years. What was all the noise up there? Is C-ko here?"  
  
A-ko swallowed. _Okay, here goes,_ she thought. "No, it's not C-ko," she began, and related how she and C-ko found Superboy.  
  
Her father raised an eyebrow. "Let me get this straight. You found an unconscious boy in a variation of my old costume and brought him home."  
  
His daughter nodded.  
  
"And you put him in your *bed*?"  
  
"Well...where else could I put him? He was hurt," A-ko protested.  
  
"How about the guest room?" he answered mildly.  
  
A-ko blanched. "I didn't think of that," she mumbled, chagrined. "Ehhh..." She covered her eyes as her head fell forward.  
  
"Never mind now," her father said, chuckling mentally. "Where is he now? Out the window, in fear of paternal wrath?"  
  
A-ko giggled nervously. "Uh, no. He's still in there, waiting for the all-clear." _I hope._  
  
"Well, bring him down here," Mr. Magami said. "Let's meet your gentleman caller."  
  
"Daaaaad!" A-ko protested reflexively, but privately sighed in relief. If her father was teasing her, he wasn't angry. She returned to her bedroom door and called through, "Okay, Superboy! It's safe!"  
  
The former Superman raised his eyebrows at Superboy's leather jacket and hairstyle when the teen hero came down. "Well," he commented. "Not quite the spitting image of my youth, but close. I take it you're a product of a more recent decade than me."  
  
"I guess so," Superboy answered, looking around at the futuristic high-tech decor in the Magani living room. "What year is it here, anyway?"  
  
"2003. Why do you ask?"  
  
"It's 1995 back home."  
  
Kent Magani nodded. "Time flows differently in some dimensions," he explained. "I had to deal with that a lot when I was still active."  
  
"*Was* still active!?" Superboy asked. "What happened, Superman? Whoops, you're in civvies--I guess it's Clark Kent."  
  
A-ko's father shook his head negatively. "Superman died seventeen years ago. Clark Kent died soon after. Now I am Kent Magami. My wife is no longer Princess Diana. She is now Diane Magami. Please, use those names. No others."  
  
"But why?" Superboy asked. "Why the name change? What *happened*, man?"  
  
Kent sighed. "That is a long story, young man. But we have time, and I suppose if I can't tell my other self, who can I tell?"  
  
"Whoa. Time out," Superboy hastily said, forming his hands into a 'T'. "You should know--I'm not your other self. I'm a clone of someone else entirely."  
  
"A clone?" asked Kent, raising an eyebrow again.  
  
"Yeah," replied Superboy. "Guess I'll trade you--my story for your story."  
  
"Fair enough," came the reply. "You first."  
  
Kent and A-ko settled back to listen as Superboy related his escape from the Cadmus Project a month after the Superman of his world had been supposedly killed by a monster known as Doomsday. Superboy, who had been calling himself Superman then, was one of four superpowered beings claiming the mantle of Metropolis's fallen champion. One of them, the Cyborg Superman, turned out to be one Hank Henshaw, once thought to be dead. He blamed  
the real Superman for the loss of his original body, and attempted to conquer the world in Superman's guise. It took the efforts of all three faux Supermen, plus Green Lantern and the real Superman, newly returned from the grave, to foil the Cyborg's plot.  
  
"So, anyway," Superboy finished. "With the real Superman back, the three of us all had to get new names. The visored dude became the Eradicator, the armored guy became Steel, and I got Superboy." He made a face. "I didn't like it, at first, but I've gotten used to it. Plus, it kinda makes me Superman's heir apparent. When he retires, I'm Superman again."  
  
Kent Magami nodded. "I am sure you will make an excellent Superman when the time comes. And I am glad my counterpart is well. But you said that you were not cloned from Superman. Out of curiosity, who *is* your genetic parent?"  
  
Superboy scowled. "He's a total slimeball named Westfield. He used to be the director of the Cadmus Project. They couldn't get any usable DNA samples from Superman's, er, 'corpse', so they decided to use a human's DNA and artificially give it powers. Westfield decided that *his* genes had the only worthy DNA. Jerk."  
  
"I see," said Mr. Magami. "Well, I believe it is time for my own tale."  
  
Before he could begin, the front door opened, and Diane Magami stepped into the room. She almost dropped the bag of groceries she was carrying when she caught sight of Superboy.  
  
Recovering her composure, the former Wonder Woman said, "I was unaware we had a guest. A friend of yours, A-ko?"  
  
A-ko quickly made the introductions. "Dad's about to tell the Story, Mom," she added when she finished, grinning mischievously.  
  
"*No!* Not the *Story* again!" Diane pleaded, startling Superboy. "Anything but that!"  
  
_What the hell?_ thought Superboy. Then Kent and A-ko began to applaud, and he realized he was witnessing an old family joke. He shrugged and joined in the applause.  
  
When Diane was through hamming it up, and the cries of "Encore!" had ended, and the laughter had died, Kent held up a hand and said, "Okay, if everyone is finished," --he glanced significantly at his wife, who managed to look supremely innocent--"we can get on with this."  
  
They all made themselves comfortable, including Diane, and Kent began.  
  
*******  
  
In the next chapter: Pa Kent (sorry) tells a story, Knockout gets a job, and future problems loom for A-ko.  



	3. Chapter 3: Tell me a Story, Dad

This is a work of fanfiction. Superboy, Knockout, Tana Moon, Rex and Roxy Leech, Triad, and Jason Blood are all copyrighted by DC Comics and are not used with permission. Project: A-ko, A-ko herself, B-ko, C-ko, Asa, Kei, Graviton City, Graviton High School for Girls, the Akagiyama 23, and the Spaceship Hotel are all copyrighted by Soeishinsha/Final-Nishijima and Central Park Media and are *also* not used with permission. Olkon is my character, but I don't care what you do with him. Dress him in a tutu--he deserves it! :) This story may be posted and distributed freely--just don't monkey with my text, especially this heading. Got it? Good. I like comments, so send any you might have to David Outram at hkoutram@hsonline.net Flames shall be treated with the derisive laughter they deserve. Thank you.  
  
Project: S-boy  
Chapter 3: Tell me a Story, Dad  
  
  
Previously: Superboy and Knockout are guarding the Book of Olkon when Knockout is suddenly compelled to open it. Unfortunately, this alerts Olkon, the original owner, to its presence in their universe. He shows up, and declares that Knockout, since she was the one to open the book, is destined to be his high priestess and consort when he takes over the multiverse, something the Book will assist him in doing.. Knockout takes exception to his suit, at least partially because Olkon is the butt-ugliest thing she had *ever* laid eyes on. However, Olkon isn't the sort to take "NO WAY!" for an answer, and attempts to have his desire of Knockout anyway. Superboy, in attempting to assist his partner, incurs Olkon's wrath, but, not having time to waste torturing the young hero as Olkon feels he deserves, opts instead to banish Superboy to another universe, leaving Knockout alone. Superboy winds up in Graviton City, the home of A-ko, B-ko, and C-ko, where he nearly flattens the former as he takes a header into a wall. He is noticed by B-ko, spying on A-ko as usual, who immediately covets him.  
  
Knockout escapes from Olkon after performing an emergency Bobbitt-ectomy, by diving through the hole that Superboy had been banished through. However, the hole must have moved in A-ko's universe, as she appears some distance from where Superboy appeared. Somewhat upset   
about being left nude on a busy street, she topples a tourist bus and makes her getaway. She then reoutfits herself by mugging Mari, one of B-ko's Posse, and heads to the nearest strip joint to make some money.  
  
A-ko takes Superboy home with her and nurses him back to health. (Actually, she just puts him to bed and waits for him to awaken--no chicken soup, or nothin'!) When her father (who happens to have been this world's version of Superman) comes home, he offers to tell Superboy what   
happed to himself and A-ko's mother (Wonder Woman) to make them lose their powers. As we join our heroes (always wanted to write that!), "Pa Kent" is beginning his story:  
  
*******  
  
Seventeen years ago, a meteor struck the Earth. In fact, it struck right here, destroying the city that used to stand here. Yes, I know, it looks much better, now. Now stop staring out the window and pay attention. (Laugh) Advanced technology was used to rebuild Graviton City at a phenomenal rate.  
  
But, destruction of the old city was not the only disaster wrought by the meteor. The meteor's interior contained a genetic virus. I don't know enough about virology to explain how it worked, but my wife and I are intimately familiar with its effects. It targeted only superpowered humans,   
and effectively stripped them of those powers. It spread rapidly across the globe, and was one hundred percent effective.  
  
How was I affected? Well, as Diane and I have proven, humans and kryptonians are interfertile. If we kryptonians are genetically similar enough to humans to sire a child, we are capable of being infected by a human virus. Usually our invulnerability destroys them before they can do any damage, but this one was not stopped, for some reason. It did have a slightly different effect on me, however. Most victims were rendered completely human, with no chance of passing their former powers on to their children. A-ko, however, received a portion of my kryptonian abilities.  
  
Thanks for the demonstration, hon. Now put down the sofa. Thank you.  
  
Where was I? Ah, yes. The virus died out soon after its job was finished, but Earth, suddenly stripped of its superheroes, plunged into chaos. The supervillians were equally powerless, fortunately, but ordinary criminals and terrorists, emboldened by the lack of superpowered opposition, more than made up for that. There were still a few heroes left, such as Batman and   
Green Lantern, who had had no natural powers to begin with, but they were grossly outnumbered. They were slaughtered mercilessly.  
  
Lois Lane died during this period, caught in a crossfire while covering one of the many riots in Metropolis.  
  
To make matters even worse, some hacker managed to stumble across files that revealed the secret identities of a great number of former superheroes, including Superman and Wonder Woman. We had no idea these files had even existed, before this happened. The hacker was murdered (by other criminals, not by former superheroes) before revealing where she had found   
them, but not before releasing them into the public domain.  
  
Suddenly, former superheroes everywhere and their families were targets of innumerable assassination attempts. Far too many were successful. We survivors were forced to go underground to escape death. Diane and I found each other sometime after we both fled our home cities, about six months after the meteor hit.  
  
We gradually fell in love. Romance in adversity, and all that. A-ko was the result.  
  
We all spent the next five years moving from place to place, changing identities as we went, to stay ahead of whoever might still be after us. Things were complicated greatly when A-ko's powers developed. She was always wrecking something and compromising our identities. Stop blushing, A-ko. That was a long time ago. Now, the damage you've caused *recently*--*that* you can blush about!  
  
We finally solved the problem of A-ko's runaway strength by reversing the orientation of Diane's amazon belt of strength and reconfiguring it into A-ko's armbands, which she now wears *all the time*, right, A-ko?  
  
Sorry, Superboy. I'm referring to a time a few weeks ago when A-ko left her armbands at home because they 'didn't go with the dress' she was wearing to a party. Thank Rao for insurance! Okay, A-ko, I'm finished embarrassing you. You can stop hiding your face.  
  
To continue: after five years had passed, we decided things had quieted down enough to stay in one place for awhile. The world had changed greatly, by then. Japan, less dependant on its heroes than the other major powers, had assumed a position of economic dominance. Bypassing a number of old treaties, it had developed an effective high-technology military force to deal with its own rampant crime. Five years after the meteor, it was selling mechas and battlesuits to other, less technologically advanced nations to combat *their* crime. Business was booming.  
  
Shortly after we decided to stop moving around, we were contacted by a Mr. Ohara, whose publishing corporation had recently bought the Daily Planet. I don't know how he found us so quickly, nor do I want to. He wanted to transfer it to his hometown of Graviton City, and turn it back into the media giant it once was, before the meteor. To this end, he wanted to hire back as much of the original staff as possible. Since Perry White had no desire to come out of retirement, he recommended me, and Mr. Ohara offered the job of chief editor to me. I would have preferred to return to reporting, but the money offered was too much to resist. I had a family to support, after all. (Diane had agreed to stay home and take care of A-ko. You wouldn't *believe* the argument we had over *that*!)  
  
So we moved again, this time keeping our current names, to Graviton City. A-ko was upset because we had to pull her out of kindergarten just before some 'duel' she was supposed to fight. Kids! And here we are.  
  
*******  
  
"Geez, and I thought the time when Luthor nearly destroyed Metropolis was bad," Superboy commented when Kent finished. "That was nothin'" He yawned, and winced as his head suddenly informed him of its presence. Keeping the weight of a collapsed stone wall from crushing him had severely overextended his tactile-telekinesis, and his migraine was the price   
he was paying. He had managed to forget about it during Kent Magami's tale, but now it seemed worse than before. "You got an aspirin, by any chance?" he groaned.  
  
"Certainly," Diane replied. "A-ko, could you get it for him?"  
  
"Sure, mom." A-ko got up and left the living room.  
  
Mr. Magami gestured to Superboy. "You've had a rough day, son. You'd better get some rest. In the *guest* room," he added meaningfully.  
  
Superboy, despite his misery, managed a grin. "Don't worry--I've *got* a girlfriend. You won't have any problems from me."  
  
Kent nodded. "Excellent." A-ko returned with two tablets and a glass of water, which Superboy gratefully gulped down.  
  
Mrs. Magami stood up. "I'll show you to the guest room now," she said. Superboy got to his feet, and followed the dark-haired Amazon down the hall.  
  
Opening a door, she gestured Superboy inside. "Here, you are, Superboy. There's an extra pair of pajamas in the top drawer if you need them."  
  
Superboy usually slept in his shorts, but thanked her anyway.  
  
"Pleasant dreams," said Diane as she left.  
  
Superboy, exhausted, stripped off his costume and laid it on the dresser, then climbed wearily into the bed. He was asleep within moments.  
  
Outside, sitting uncomfortably on a tree limb, Ine adjusted the focus on the camcorder aimed at the guest room's window. She was feeling quite hot, though the night was cool, and she wasn't ill. _What a *body* he has,_ she thought lustfully. She sighed. _Another guy I won't be getting. Why am I so unlucky?_  
  
_Because you're a skinny, unattractive, buck-toothed geek, that's why,_ came the immediate response, as though she needed the reminder.. Ine had the dubious distinction of being the smartest member of "B-ko's Posse", as Ine and her comrades were called by outsiders, but she was well aware that her intelligence paled next to B-ko's genius. As if that wasn't enough, B-ko   
also possessed all the attributes that Ine would have gladly sacrificed forty IQ points for: beauty, boldness, charisma, and poise.  
  
Ordinarily, Ine would have had nothing to do with anyone like B-ko, content to remain in her own lonely world. But overtures of friendship from the popular B-ko had drawn Ine out of her shell and into B-ko's web, and now it was far too late to escape.  
  
But, at least she had friends now: Asa, Ume, and Mari--her fellow Posse comrades. And, while B-ko herself was often hard to get along with, making outrageous demands of them, she occasionally did something spontaneously nice to make up for all that. Such as just earlier today, when Mari had stumbled into B-ko's secret hideaway, dressed only in her underwear and showing signs of a beating. B-ko had been by Mari's side instantly, helping her to a bed in the overnight room, and demanding to know who had done this to her. When she found out that it was A-ko, B-ko had promised Mari that A-ko would pay dearly for her treacherous and cowardly assault. After ordering medical attention for Mari, B-ko had dispatched Ine herself to gather information of A-ko's current activities. Success would be greatly rewarded. Although Ine would have done *this* job for free--both to help Mari and for that one sweet look at Superboy's hard muscular body--she would accept any payment offered. Orthodontists were expensive.  
  
Her introspection complete, Ine turned her attention back to her task. Noting that Superboy was sound asleep, she decided her job was done for the night. She shut off the camcorder and climbed out of the tree, then checked to make sure that the wiretaps were secure. B-ko wanted to know every byte of data that came in or out of the Magami household.  
  
_This was a good night,_ Ine thought. _Completely aside from seeing Superboy's *gorgeous* body, the information I picked up should get me a nice bonus. Especially the part about A-ko's parents..._ Reaching her concealed scooter, she motored towards B-ko's mansion, whistling, already planning how to spend her bonus check.  
  
*******  
  
A-ko yawned and said, "I think I'll turn in, too. Just let me call C-ko. I promised her an update on Superboy."  
  
"Just don't be too long, dear," answered her mother. "You both need your rest. The way you oversleep every day and miss breakfast should tell you that."  
  
"Sure, mom," A-ko replied over her shoulder as she walked over to the vid-phone. She punched the call button, and auto-dialed C-ko's number. It was answered by C-ko's stepmother, looking more harried than usual.  
  
"Oh, A-ko, thank goodness you called," she said with relief. "*Please*, can you talk to C-ko? She's in the *kitchen*!" Her voice rose several octaves on the last word.  
  
A-ko's stomach lurched. She had almost succeeded in forgetting about the looming picnic tomorrow. "Call her over to the phone," she requested. "I may have an idea."  
  
"Of course, A-ko," Mrs. Kotobuki agreed, and stepped away from the pickup. "C-ko, dear, you have a call!" A-ko heard over the line. "It's A-ko!" There was a galloping noise, and within moments C-ko's beaming face filled the screen.  
  
"Hi, A-ko!" she trilled. "It's about time you called. How's the boy doing? Is he all right? Who is he, anyway?"  
  
"Slow down, C-ko," laughed A-ko. "Take a breath!" She then gave C-ko an abbreviated version of the evening's events. "So I was thinking," she finished, "that if he's feeling better tomorrow, we'd show him around the city, a little."  
  
"But, what about the picnic?" C-ko wanted to know.  
  
"We can always have that another time," A-ko answered easily. _Like when hell freezes over, I hope._ "I don't know how long Superboy can be with us."  
  
"Well, okay," decided C-ko after some thought. "I'll just save the food for later."  
  
_*Much* later,_ thought A-ko. "That'll be fine, C-ko," she said aloud. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"  
  
"Okay, A-ko," C-ko replied. "Bye!"  
  
"Bye." A-ko cut the connection, and sighed in relief. _So much for the Picnic of Doom,_ she thought. Yawning, she headed upstairs to her bedroom.  
  
She quickly got out of her clothes and into her nightshirt. Climbing into her bed, she was soon fast asleep.  
  
*******  
  
Miko was stretching in preparation for her routine when a shadow fell across her. She looked up at the amazonian redhead in the extra-large schoolgirl's uniform who was casting it. "[What do you want?]" she asked.  
  
Knockout, who only knew enough Japanese to get herself barred from the better sushi restaurants, said, "I need to see your manager. About a job."  
  
"Huh?" Miko spoke almost no English, at all.  
  
Knockout sighed in frustration. It was a reaction she was becoming used to. She tried again. "Manager. Boss. Job."  
  
Miko's face lit up. "[Ah, yes,] 'boss'." She pointed down the hall, curving her hand to indicate left, and, with her other hand, held up two fingers. "[Second door on the left,]" she added uselessly.  
  
Knockout, understanding the gesture if not the words, nodded, and tried some of her very limited Japanese. "Ah-ree-gah-toe." She hoped it meant, "Thanks."  
  
It did. "[You're welcome,]" Miko replied, smiling. As Knockout left down the hall, she wondered, _She looks a little old to be a schoolgirl. Oh, well--let Sludge worry about her._ She resumed her stretching exercises.  
  
Sludge didn't bother looking up from his copy of _European Honeys_ when he heard the knock at his office door. "[Go away--I'm busy]" he shouted back.  
  
Whoever it was didn't take the hint as the door slammed open hard enough to rebound off the wall. A tall, well-built redhead stepped through the doorway and said, "I'm here about a job."  
  
Sludge, an American immigrant, knew English very well. "I don't hire schoolgirls," he sneered. "Get outta here."  
  
"Ignore the clothes," Knockout snapped. She opened her stolen blouse, displaying her large breasts. "Know any schoolgirls with these?"  
  
Sludge affected disinterest. "Not bad. But I have other dancers as good or better. What else you got?"  
  
Knockout scowled. _Enough playing around,_ she thought. She grabbed Sludge by the collar and hoisted his 250 pound body into the air. "A strong arm and a nasty temper," she snarled. "Impressed yet?"  
  
Sludge nodded frantically, and Knockout lowered him to the ground again. "Will you double as a bouncer?" he asked.  
  
"I always did before," she said, shrugging. The effects of the shrug reminded her to put her breasts away under her shirt again.  
  
"You should have mentioned you had experience," Sludge said greasily. "You're hired. Can you start tonight?"  
  
"Let's talk money first." Knockout had received a crash course in the current value of the yen from her helpful English-speaking taxi driver, and was ready to put her new knowledge to use. She was well pleased. _Step One completed,_ she thought in satisfaction.  
  
*******  
  
"Good work, Ine," remarked B-ko, writing out a check. "Here's your bonus." She handed the check to Ine, who accepted it with a smile.  
  
"How's Mari doing?" Ine asked.  
  
"The doctor says she'll be fine, but she'll need to stay in bed a couple of days. She should be back on her feet after that." B-ko answered.  
  
"Just in time for school on Monday," Ine observed. "Mari must be really *thrilled* about that."  
  
"She used a few words I didn't know she knew," B-ko commented with a slight smile. "If A-ko could die from foul language, we'd be attending her funeral in a few days."  
  
"Give her a few missiles from me," Ine pleaded.  
  
"I will," B-ko replied. "Go on home, now. Get some rest. We have a long day, tomorrow."  
  
"Good night, B-ko," said Ine. "You get some rest, too, okay?"  
  
B-ko didn't answer, and Ine left for home with a sigh. _*Please* get some rest tonight, B-ko,_ she thought. _You pull far too many all-nighters for your health._  
  
B-ko sat in her chair, pondering the information she had just received. _So, A-ko's parents were Superman and Wonder Woman,_ she thought. _Not surprising, in retrospect. I *just* might be able to use this information._ An evil grin marred her fair features. She reached for the intercom.  
  
"Labs. Connors speaking," came the Austrailian-accented voice.  
  
"This is Daitokuji," replied B-ko crisply. "Have Unit K7 sent to my workshop immediately."  
  
"Yes, ma'am," replied Connors. "It will be there within the half-hour."  
  
"Very good." B-ko had a sudden thought. "Oh, also send over some C-remedy and Elixir Nine."  
  
"Yes, ma'am," Connors repeated. _What the bloody hell is that loony sheila up to, now?_ he thought, though he really didn't want to know. What he *did* know is that it probably meant trouble for a certain redhead, and that Connors himself would be much safer staying in the laboratory all tomorrow.  
  
B-ko shut off the intercom, then got up and walked over to a short column in the middle of her sitting room. She pressed a button on the column's control panel, and a circular section of floor lowered into her workshop area, taking B-ko and the column with it. As she descended, B-ko broke into maniacal laughter. "Tomorrow, Superboy will be *mine*!" she gloated to no one in particular. "And A-ko will be gone..._  
  
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA......."  
  
*******  
  
Next Chapter: A new day dawns over Graviton City. B-ko decides to practice Better Loving Through Chemistry, and A-ko *ain't* happy about it! Plus, Knockout makes the news before Superboy.   



	4. Chapter 4: Better Loving Through Chemist...

This is a work of fanfiction. Superboy, Knockout, Tana Moon, Rex and Roxy Leech, Triad, and Jason Blood are all copyrighted by DC Comics and are not used with permission. Project: A-ko, A-ko herself, B-ko, C-ko, Asa, Kei, Graviton City, Graviton High School for Girls, the Akagiyama 23, and the Spaceship Hotel are all copyrighted by Soeishinsha/Final-Nishijima and Central Park Media and are *also* not used with permission. Olkon is my character, but I don't care what you do with him. Dress him in a tutu--he deserves it! :) This story may be posted and distributed freely--just don't monkey with my text, especially this heading. Got it? Good. I like comments, so send any you might have to David Outram at hkoutram@hsonline.net Flames shall be treated with the derisive laughter they deserve. Thank you.  
  
Project: S-boy  
Chapter 4: Better Loving Through Chemistry  
  
Outside, B-ko's spy, Ine, finds the story (and Superboy's body) quite interesting. She quickly runs to B-ko with the news of A-ko's heritage, who also finds the news interesting. She goes to her workshop to prepare a plot to win Superboy and rid herself of A-ko at the same time.  
  
Elsewhere in Graviton City, Knockout gains a job as an exotic dancer/bouncer, and starts work immediately. Everyone, except Knockout and B-ko, gets a good night's rest.   
  
*******  
  
A-ko was enjoying a wonderful dream involving her, Kei, and a can of whipped cream when the doorbell rang.  
  
"Geez, right at the best part, too," she grumbled, cracking an eyelid. Her gaze fell on her much-abused alarm clock.  
  
"*EIGHT-FORTY*!?" she shrieked, leaping out of her bed. She started franticly pulling on her school uniform. "OhgeezImusthaveforgottosetmyalarmI'mso*late*!"  
  
In full panic mode, A-ko rushed down the stairs, tore open the front door, grabbed C-ko's hand, and charged full-tilt up the road toward Graviton High School.  
  
"I'm so sorry, C-ko," she yelled over the slipstream. "I must have forgotten to set my alarm clock."  
  
"A-koooooo!" shrieked C-ko, trailing behind her friend. "It's *Saturday*! No school! *No school*!  
  
A-ko stopped short, causing C-ko to crash into her back and fall to the ground. "Oops," she said, blushing. She turned around and helped C-ko to her feet. "Sorry, C-ko. I guess I don't think too well in the morning."  
  
"Honestly, A-ko," C-ko scolded. "You'd think you'd remember what day it is." Laughing, the two friends retraced their path to A-ko's house, at a more sedate pace.  
  
When they returned, they found Superboy up, awakened by the ruckus A-ko had caused in her panic. A-ko's parents had apparantly chosen to ignore it, as they were still abed.  
  
Superboy adjusted his borrowed robe and asked, "What was all that about?"  
  
C-ko gleefully spilled her guts, while A-ko looked for a nice, convenient hole in which to curl up and die. Finding none, she turned to her guest and said, "Superboy, this is C-ko, my *former* best friend."  
  
"Hey!" C-ko protested, knowing A-ko didn't mean it.  
  
"Nice to meet you, C-ko," Superboy said, grinning. "A-ko's told me a lot about you."  
  
"All good, I hope," C-ko beamed, then began babbling. "Are you *really* from another world? Can you fly like Superman could? Are you as strong as A-ko? What's it like on your world? Do you have a girlfriend? What's her name? Are..."  
  
"C-ko!" interrupted A-ko. "Take a breath!"  
  
"Sorry," C-ko pouted.  
  
"Tell you what," Superboy suggested. "If I could get some breakfast, I'll answer your questions while I eat." He glanced questioningly at A-ko.  
  
"There's cereal in the top right cupboard, and milk in the fridge," A-ko said. "Help yourself. I'll join you as soon as I change."  
  
"Thanks." Superboy went to the kitchen, trailed by C-ko.  
  
When A-ko returned ten minutes later, dressed in a green blouse with matching shorts, Superboy was regaling an admiring C-ko with tales of his exploits. Pausing in the doorway, A-ko watched C-ko listening intently to Superboy, and wondered why C-ko was reacting so well to him, when she had been invariably hostile toward every other boy A-ko had met.  
  
_It's because she knows I'm not interested in him,_ she realized. _He's not a threat to our relationship._ Having a romance with Superboy would feel too much to A-ko like having one with her father, and, while she understood that some girls had a problem in that area, that wasn't one of A-ko's hang-ups.  
  
With that observation, A-ko entered the dining room and helped herself to some cereal. Superboy was just coming to the end of his current tale--"so I grabbed Tana's wrist and extended my tactile-telekinetic field, and the Technician's bullets just bounced right off her like she was, well, me. That was just a few days ago."  
  
"So what happened to your visor?" C-ko wanted to know. "I didn't see it with you yesterday."  
  
"Oh, that," Superboy said casually. "I destroyed it. I knew I'd just lose it again, and maybe someone worse than the Technician would find it next time. I'm better off just relying on my own studly self."  
  
A-ko suppressed a snort. _*He* thinks well of himself, anyway,_ she thought with amusement. "What visor is this?" she asked. "Sorry, I arrived in the middle of it."  
  
"It duplicated all of Superman's vision powers for me. Y'know--infrared, telescopic, heat blasts, and my personal favorite: x-ray vision."  
  
"What a surprise," A-ko commented dryly. "So, who's this Tana? Sounds like she means something to you."  
  
"Yeah," Superboy agreed. "She's my girlfriend, and the best reporter Hawaii's got."  
  
"And Knockout?" A-ko had heard Superboy mention her as she was approaching the dining room doorway.  
  
Superboy's face turned serious. "She's my partner in crime-fighting."  
  
C-ko noticed Superboy's darkened mood. "What's wrong, Superboy? You look so sad all of a sudden."  
  
"It's just that she was in real trouble when I was kicked out of my world," he replied. _No sense giving her the details._ "I gotta scope a way back real soon." _Though it's probably too late, by now,_ he thought gloomily. He sincerely hoped that had turned out all right.  
  
*******  
  
The object of Superboy's concerns was at that moment relaxing after a long night of dancing and bouncing, in an apartment room above the Orange Silk Club, where she now worked. She was exhausted, but determined to catch the morning news before she turned in.  
  
Miko, who had offered to share the apartment with Knockout, had also shown her how to use the remote control to display subtitles for any major language on the television screen. Pleased with this serendipitous convenience, Knockout set the subtitles to English and settled back to watch.  
  
"Oh, no!" she moaned, as the news switched to a story about a public disturbance that had occurred last night on Macross Boulevard. Knockout, in dismay, watched herself, nude but for boots, gloves, and mask (with computer-induced fuzzing at the appropriate areas), flip over the tourist bus again.  
  
Well, maybe she'd luck out and no one would connect her with that. She *was* wearing her mask, and the exposed part of her face had been somewhat distorted with the effort of lifting the bus. Since she had been squatting, it was hard to tell just how tall she was. Plus, with the camera angle, her hair looked a good two feet shorter.  
  
Knockout sighed. She was grasping at straws. Her strength was common knowledge among her new co-workers. And just how many super-strong redheads could there *be* in Graviton City?  
  
*******  
  
A-ko, Graviton City's only other super-strong redhead, knew nothing of this potential complication of her life as she walked down the sidewalk with C-ko and Superboy. Superboy, back in his costume, was gawking like any other tourist through his shades as C-ko happily chattered on about whatever feature of the cityscape they were currently passing.  
  
"And over there, across the water, is Spaceship Land and the Spaceship Hotel," C-ko was saying. "It's a real spaceship that attacked the city and kidnapped me 'cause I'm supposed to be their princess or something but A-ko and B-ko saved me and wrecked the ship and made it crash right on top of the military fortress and I dunno how they got it down but when they did its captain turned it into a hotel and amusement park which is really fun and maybe we can go there sometime..." she stopped to take a breath. "And over there is..."  
  
A-ko, feeling a little left out, trailed slightly behind the two, surprised at her mild feelings of jealousy. _Is this how C-ko felt when I was carrying on about Kei?_ she wondered. _I think I owe her an apology._  
  
"This place is so *cool*," Superboy exclaimed, taking to the air to get a better view, oblivious to the stares he was receiving from passersby.  
  
C-ko, having lost her audience and feeling tired, wandered over to a nearby park bench and sat down. A-ko joined her. "So, what do you think of him?" she asked conversationally as they watched Superboy, who was now performing aerial acrobatics to the amazement of the crowd, few of whom had ever seen anyone flying without a hardsuit.  
  
"He's amazing," C-ko replied with typical enthusiasm. "I've never met anyone like him. Other than you, of course."  
  
"Well, just be careful, okay?" A-ko said. "Don't let him take advantage of you."  
  
"Oh, he wouldn't do *that*," C-ko asserted.  
  
"You're probably right," A-ko agreed, though she had noticed that Superboy's hormones were more than a bit hyperactive. "It still doesn't hurt to be careful."  
  
"Sure, A-ko," C-ko shrugged. She didn't know what A-ko was on about, though. Boys were boys. Tell them to go away and they usually did. If they didn't, then *A-ko* would tell them, in her own way. They *always* left then. Usually pretty fast. She giggled, thinking about the last boy that had tried to bother her. A-ko had put such a scare into him that there had been a nasty smell left  
behind. Peew! C-ko's nose wrinkled at the memory.  
  
There was one boy A-ko had failed to chase away, though--Kei. *Him* A-ko was always sighing over--talking about hearts beating, and kissing, and stuff. Bleah. Who'd want to *kiss* a boy? You can't talk when you're kissing, and talking's much more fun. The only problem was, eventually boys want to stop talking, and move on to something else. *That's* when A-ko comes in.  
  
C-ko stopped thinking about that and watched Superboy some more. She suddenly remembered that she had made something for this outing. She reached into her purse.  
  
"Hey, A-ko, guess what I have," she said.  
  
"Hmm?" asked A-ko distractedly. "Oh, I dunno."  
  
C-ko triumphantly pulled a small box out of her purse and opened it. "*Candy*! I made it for you!"  
  
_Oh, *God*, no!_ A-ko thought, desperately trying to think of an excuse not to eat one of the revolting things that C-ko was holding under her horrified gaze.  
  
"Go on--try one!" C-ko urged.  
  
_Why do you *do* this to me?_ thought A-ko bitterly. "Uh, I'd like to, C-ko, really, but I'm, um, on a diet, yeah. On a diet."  
  
"Oh, c'mon! One little piece won't hurt," C-ko insisted.  
  
_Wanna bet?_ Sighing, A-ko reluctantly reached for a piece. Maybe she could palm it and just make appreciative noises. Anything to stave off the dreaded C-ko Tantrum.  
  
She was saved when Superboy swooped down and landed next to C-ko. "Hey! Those look good," he said. "Mind if I have one?"  
  
"Sure!" exclaimed C-ko. She held the box out to him.  
  
As he popped the candy into his mouth, Superboy wondered why A-ko was shaking her head at him so violently. He quickly found out as the cramps hit. His face turned greenish, and he doubled over in agony.  
  
"Oh, God, I'm gonna hurl!" he groaned. "Urp!" Covering his mouth, he staggered into a deep thicket of bushes.  
  
C-ko stared after him. "What? What's he going to hurl, A-ko?"  
  
"His breakfast," A-ko replied before she thought.  
  
"Huh? What do you mean?" C-ko asked. Then her face fell. "He...he didn't...didn't like it...did he?" She began to sniffle.  
  
"No, C-ko, I'm sure it didn't have anything to do with your candy," A-ko said hastily, trying to forestall the inevitable. It was no use.  
  
"WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"  
  
Superboy, on his hands and knees in the deep brush, overheard C-ko wailing like a banshee, and A-ko trying desperately to calm her down, but was too absorbed in his own misery to care. He had brought up the candy, and had properly buried it out of view, but the lingering taste was still causing major digestive problems. At this point, he was concentrating on keeping what remained of his breakfast cereal where it belonged.  
  
"How can one girl cook so horribly?" he groaned to himself.  
  
"C-ko's virtues are many, but I fear cooking will never be among them," a feminine voice answered.  
  
"Who?" Superboy's gaze traveled up a well-formed leg, past an even better-formed body, and settled upon a lovely face framed by light blue curls. Such was his misery that he didn't even pause to appreciate any of these wonders enroute.  
  
The girl smiled. "And this from an admirer. Hello. I'm B-ko. I'm sure A-ko's told you about me."  
  
"Yeah, A-ko's mentioned you," Superboy wheezed. "Not to be rude, or anything, but could you leave me alone right now? I'm not feeling too hot."  
  
"Oh, please, forgive me," B-ko said apologetically. "This certainly isn't the best of times for a conversation." She started to move away, then paused, and snapped her fingers. "Oh, I'm so forgetful, at times. I have something right here that can help you." She retrieved a small bottle from her purse. "I've never been 'favored' with any of C-ko's food, but I've seen its effects on others, so, just in case I ever *did* wind up eating C-ko's cooking, I borrowed one of Daddy's pharmaceutical labs and used it to develop this." She presented the bottle, filled with a pink liquid, to Superboy.  
  
"Looks like Pepto-Bismol," he said doubtfully.  
  
"It's a hundred times more effective," B-ko assured him. "Guaranteed to neutralize the toxic effects of C-ko's cooking, even at its worst. I call it C-remedy."  
  
Superboy held out his hand. "Give." B-ko opened the bottle for him and handed it over. Superboy chugged the contents, not much caring what its ingredients might be. It could hardly make him feel worse.  
  
It seemed to function as advertised. Superboy sighed in relief as the stomach cramps eased, and his nausea disappeared. "Much better," he breathed. He started as a bottle of mineral water was thrust into his view.  
  
"Here. You might want to rinse your mouth," B-ko suggested.  
  
"Thanks." Superboy took the bottle and opened it. Taking a mouthful of the lime-flavored water, he got his first good look at his benefactress. Now that he was feeling better, he could properly appreciate her charms. Swishing the water around his mouth, he stared at B-ko.  
  
B-ko positioned herself in a fetching manner. _It's working,_ she congratulated herself. The Elixir Nine she had mixed into the C-remedy the night before was subtly altering Superboy's perception of her, making her seem even more attractive, while simultaneously lowering his inhibitions. Not *too* much--she had no desire to be ravished--but just enough to make him forget any other loyalties he might have had.  
  
Superboy turned his head and spat out the mineral water. He turned back to his vision of loveliness, who moved toward him. "You're so hot, babe," he whispered as they embraced. "I want you in every way."  
  
"Shut up and kiss me," B-ko commanded. Superboy eagerly obeyed. The Perrier bottle slipped, unnoticed, from his fingers.  
  
C-ko had finally stopped crying, and was now gulping water from a nearby drinking fountain to replace her depleted fluids, which A-ko was trying vainly to wring out of her clothes. Still dripping, A-ko stood up.  
  
"Superboy's been back there quite a while," she called to C-ko. "I'm going to make sure he's all right."  
  
"Okay, A-ko. I'll be here." C-ko returned to her drinking.  
  
As she entered the tall bushes, A-ko thought, _I'm going to have to either find a way to keep C-ko from crying all the time, or start wearing water-repellant clothes. Now *there's* a fashion statement._ She smirked at herself.  
  
She reached the center of the clump of bushes and stared, appalled, at the scene before her. Superboy and B-ko were embracing, kissing, their hands all over each other.  
  
"What the *hell* is going on here?" A-ko shrieked. "What did you do to him, B-ko?"  
  
B-ko broke the lip-lock to say, "Why, I haven't done a thing to him, A-ko. It's obvious Superboy knows a superior girl when he meets one."  
  
"Oh, right, you're *so* superior," A-ko sneered.  
  
"Of course I am," B-ko replied easily, as A-ko fumed. "Besides, it's not really healthy for *you* to have Superboy. People might think you have an Electra complex."  
  
"There isn't anything between us," A-ko protested. Then the meaning behind B-ko's words hit her. A-ko paled. "How did you know about my father?" she demanded.  
  
B-ko smiled. It wasn't a pretty smile. "I've made it my business to know *everything* about you," she said sweetly.  
  
Red with fury, A-ko snarled, "You *bitch*! You've been spying on me!"  
  
B-ko laughed. "You've provided me with much amusement over the past year."  
  
Her hands balled into fists at her sides, A-ko muttered, "So, that's how you've always been able to arrive in time to screw up my life for me. And how you managed to show up to grab Superboy the moment he was separated from us." She looked directly at her nemesis, her eyes blazing. "Damn you, B-ko! You'll *pay* for this! And your damned slut armor isn't going to stop me!" She launched herself at B-ko, only to bounce off of Superboy's tactile-telekinetic field.  
  
"Damn it, Superboy, get out of my way!" A-ko shouted at him. "Let me at her!"  
  
"Sorry, A-ko," Superboy said apologetically. "But you gotta get through me, first. I can't let you hurt her. I love her."  
  
"*Love* her?!" A-ko demanded. "She *has* done something to you." She grabbed him by the collar and shook him in time to her words. "You-*don't*-love-some-one-you-only-met-ten-minutes-ago!" She was conveniently forgetting that ten minutes was about how long it took for her to fall for Kei, but that was beside the point, anyway.  
  
"Hands *off* the jacket," Superboy said, breaking her grip. "You can't possibly understand."  
  
"I understand you seem to have forgotten all about Tana," A-ko retorted.  
  
"Tana," Superboy repeated, confused. A-ko took advantage of that to slip by him and advance once more upon her enemy.  
  
B-ko had used the extra time proved to her by Superboy well. She now wore her Akagiyama 23 armor, teleported in from its storage area. In one hand, she held a curious device that slightly resembled a Star Trek phaser.  
  
"I came prepared for your interference, A-ko," B-ko said. She gestured with the "phaser". "This little gadget will finally succeed in destroying you."  
  
"Oh, come *on*! You gotta be kidding me!" A-ko scoffed. "I've been hit with lasers, before." Lasers hurt like hell, but did no real damage to A-ko. They just ticked her off. Full of confidence, she began an attack routine, announcing loudly, "Driver...Kiiick!"  
  
Before A-ko's assault could connect, B-ko calmly aimed her device and fired. A ray of green light emanated from the end and struck A-ko, who screamed in agony. She collapsed heavily to the ground, moaning.  
  
"Kryptonite Beamer," B-ko announced, a little late.  
  
*******  
  
Knockout awoke with a start as her chin slipped off her supporting hand. She had fallen asleep in front of the television, which was now showing some kiddie show called Sailor V. Knockout shut it off.  
  
Yawning, she muttered, "Time to hit the sack." She arose to go to her bedroom and promptly tripped over something at her feet.  
  
"Now what the hell...?" She turned over to look at the offending object and froze.  
  
_Oh, Christ,_ she thought. _It's that damn book!_  
  
"Just great," she muttered to herself. "Now what to I do with it?"  
  
_Open me._  
  
Knockout's arm twitched, but this time, she managed to control the impulse to open the book. She had absolutely *no* desire to meet the book's master again.  
  
"Not this time, Olkon," she growled.  
  
_Open me._  
  
Knockout's face beaded with sweat as she fought the lure of the Book of Olkon. She thrust her hands, balled into fists, behind her back. She backed out of the room, staring at the book, as though it would attack if she took her eyes off of it.  
  
She put a door between herself and the book, and the compulsion eased. Looking around, she found herself in the kitchen. She had an idea, and wasted no time looking for the items she needed. Finding a length of clothesline and a plastic bag, she returned to the door leading to the living room. Taking a breath to steady her nerves, she carefully opened the door.  
  
The book was still sitting innocuously where she had left it. The moment her eyes fell on it, the compulsion started again. Gritting her teeth, she approached it, the clothesline held ready.  
  
When she reached it, she carefully grabbed it by the spine and wrapped the clothesline around it until the book was almost completely covered in lengths of clothesline. She then tied it off in a series of complicated knots. She then dumped the wrapped-up book into the opaque plastic bag and tied it closed. The compulsion was now muted. She finished the operation by taking the bag into her room and shoving it into the deepest recesses of her closet. Just to be extra sure, she piled some junk left over from the room's previous tenant on top of it.  
  
_Hope that'll do it,_ she thought. She felt no compulsion now. Feeling relatively safe, she undressed for bed. Slipping between the sheets nude, as was her habit, she quickly fell asleep.  
  
*******  
  
Next Chapter: A-ko and B-ko really get into it, and the park will never be the same! But how will A-ko prevail against B-ko's Kryptonite Beamer (and where did B-ko get kryptonite, anyway)? And, whose side will Superboy be on?   



	5. Chapter 5: Playing in the Park

This is a work of fanfiction. Superboy, Knockout, Tana Moon, Rex and Roxy Leech, Triad, and Jason Blood are all copyrighted by DC Comics and are not used with permission. Project: A-ko, A-ko herself, B-ko, C-ko, Asa, Kei, Graviton City, Graviton High School for Girls, the Akagiyama 23, and the Spaceship Hotel are all copyrighted by Soeishinsha/Final-Nishijima and Central Park Media and are *also* not used with permission. Olkon is my character, but I don't care what you do with him. Dress him in a tutu--he deserves it! :) This story may be posted and distributed freely--just don't monkey with my text, especially this heading. Got it? Good. I like comments, so send any you might have to David Outram at hkoutram@hsonline.net Flames shall be treated with the derisive laughter they deserve. Thank you.  
  
Project: S-boy  
Chapter 5: Playing in the Park  
  
Elsewhere in Graviton City, Knockout gains a job as an exotic dancer/bouncer, and starts work immediately. Everyone, except Knockout and B-ko, gets a good night's rest.   
  
The next morning, Knockout watches the news and gets an eyeful of her public debut, to her dismay. In the meantime, A-ko and C-ko give Superboy the 100 yen tour of Graviton City (the nickel tour to us Americans). They wind up in a park, where Superboy, in his ignorance, eats a piece of C-ko-made candy. While, um, recovering in the bushes, he is met by B-ko, who offers him some C-remedy, which, she claims, is designed specifically to counter C-ko's cooking.  
Super-boy chugs it down, not knowing that B-ko had put in an extra ingredient--Elixir Nine--a powerful aphrodisiac (sing with me: Love Potion Number Niiiine! Ah, you get it now. ^_^ )  
  
A-ko, worried about Superboy, walks in on them making out and, correctly guessing that B-ko had pulled a fast one, challenges her. In the argument that follows, B-ko reveals her new knowledge of A-ko's parentage, and that she had been spying on A-ko for some time now. Enraged, A-ko charges B-ko, only to be blocked by Superboy, who declares his love for the latter. A-ko confuses him by reminding him of his *real* love, Tana Moon, and slips by him. B-ko has prepared for A-ko's interference, however, and shoots A-ko with her new weapon--the Kryptonite Beamer! And now, we rejoin our story in progress:  
  
*******  
  
A-ko, groaning, staggered to her feet. In a pain-filled voice she snarled, "Damn you, B-ko! Where did you--*aagh!*--get...kryptonite from?" A fresh wave of pain drove her to her knees again.  
  
"I found it some time ago in an old S.T.A.R. Labs facility Daddy bought," B-ko gloated. "To be honest, I never thought I would ever find a use for it--until I found out who *your* daddy was. I figured that, as a half-kryptonian, you would also prove vulnerable to it."  
  
A-ko found the strength to leap to her feet. "Well, you deserve a prize," she sneered. "How about a...Chaotic *Chaaaaarge*!" She broke into a full-velocity sprint, leaping, diving, and dodging unpredictably, while B-ko tried vainly to tag A-ko with her kryptonite beam again. Despite B-ko's efforts, the flame-haired girl quickly closed to within striking distance. "Snap...*kick*!" A-ko announced as she drove her sneakered foot into her target's seemingly  
unprotected abdomen.  
  
B-ko's Akagiyama force-field absorbed most of the blow, but the force of it launched her backwards nearly one hundred yards. Bushes, trees, and picnic tables were smashed to kindling and junk by her passage. She cried out in dismay as her Beamer was jarred from her grasp and lost.  
  
"Damn!" B-ko swore as she gained her feet, clutching her stomach. She quickly scanned the area for her fallen weapon. _I *knew* I should have incorporated it into my battlesuit,_ she chastised herself. _I was too lazy. I just *had* to get that hour of sleep. Well, next time, I'll know better._ Spotting her Beamer lying next to a toppled tree trunk, she took a step toward it, only to find her path suddenly blocked.  
  
A-ko glared at her antagonist. "Let's see how well you do without your toy," she snarled.  
  
"Fine by me," B-ko replied. "I'll just take you out the old-fashioned way. Akagiyama Missiles!" Her arm snapped up and mini-missiles began spitting out of her full-auto launcher.  
  
"Oh, shit!" A-ko dove aside, tracked closely by B-ko's missiles, as the high-explosive rounds detonated all around her, destroying trees, bushes, benches, and large chunks of turf. Finally, B-ko ran out of ammunition.  
  
A-ko took that opportunity to close, leading off with a roundhouse to the head. As B-ko dodged, A-ko followed with a high kick, which struck B-ko under the chin. B-ko landed on her back on the ground, and immediately swung her legs out, knocking her opponent's feet out from under her. A-ko joined her on the ground, rolling to avoid the elbow B-ko jammed at her throat. Both warriors flipped to their feet.  
  
"Today, you'll *die*, A-ko," growled B-ko, punching at her nemesis.  
  
A-ko caught B-ko's fist. "You'll have to do better than this," she taunted. She whirled, still grasping B-ko's fist, and threw her armored enemy over her shoulder. B-ko slammed into the ground, her breath knocked away. Seeing movement from the corner of her eye, she hurriedly threw herself aside as A-ko's foot smashed into the turf where B-ko's chest had been. Leaping to her feet, B-ko slammed one booted foot into A-ko's exposed back. A-ko was catapulted forward into a playground swingset. Several dozen kids decided it would be a good idea to play elsewhere and ran like hell.  
  
Flexing her powerful muscles, A-ko managed to untangle herself from the swings just as B-ko arrived from above, slamming A-ko headfirst into the sand. As A-ko extracted herself from the head-sized hole she had made, she heard B-ko say, "Had enough yet? Or would you like more...Akagiyama Missiles!" A-ko desperately fled the destructive missiles as they blasted the playground directly behind her.  
  
A decorative pond blocked A-ko's path. Without hesitation, she leaped into the  
air and landed on a footbridge that crossed the water. She turned around just in time to get body-slammed by B-ko. Both girls landed hard. The bridge, not designed with high-powered catfights in mind, collapsed, and the two combatants plunged under the water.  
  
The pond water churned with the violent movements beneath its surface. Then B-ko's scantily-armored form shot backward out of the water, propelled by A-ko's powerful leg, which appeared above the surface briefly. B-ko performed an aerial flip and landed on her feet. She used her brief respite to reload her missile launcher.  
  
A-ko was upon her before she had a chance to fire, landing a right cross that rattled B-ko's teeth. A-ko followed up with a hard jab to the stomach. As B-ko doubled over, A-ko's knee shot up, catching B-ko in the faceplate of her helmet. B-ko was thrown onto her back again, her faceplate shattered.  
  
Desperately, B-ko executed a series of flips, opening some distance between her and A-ko, then triggered her Akagiyama Missile launcher again. Without her faceplate's heads-up display, her targeting was imprecise, but she was still accurate enough to steer A-ko where she wanted her to go. Such as back to where the battle had started. Where B-ko's Kryptonite Beamer was waiting for her. B-ko grinned ferally.  
  
*******  
  
C-ko, still guzzling water from the fountain, startled when she heard her friend's tortured scream. "*A-ko*!" she yelled, immediately rushing toward the source of the sound. She had no idea what she might be able to do, but she couldn't just stand around while her best friend was being hurt.  
  
She arrived in time to see A-ko fleeing before a storm of B-ko's Akagiyama Missiles. B-ko soon gave chase. C-ko glanced over at Superboy. He was just standing there, watching!  
  
Superboy was actually fighting an interior battle of his own, trying to sort out the intense, contradictory emotions and impulses brought on by B-ko's Elixer Nine "love potion", but C-ko had no way of knowing that. All she knew was that her best friend was in trouble, and her new friend was doing nothing but making strange faces.  
  
She stormed over to him and began beating on his chest with her small fists. "Superboy!" she screamed at him, her tears flowing freely again. "*Do* something! A-ko needs you! Please, do something!" She began bawling incoherently.  
  
Superboy was startled from his inner struggle for a moment. He looked down at C-ko's tear-streaked face in despair. "I don't know what to do," he whispered miserably. "I want to help A-ko. I...I can't fight B-ko. I just can't *decide*!" He screamed the last sentence, smashing his fist into the ground up to the elbow, but C-ko had already turned away in disgust. She began running  
toward the battlezone, following its trail of destruction. She noticed a strange device lying next to a fallen tree and paused to pick it up without really thinking about it.  
  
_Darn Superboy anyway,_ C-ko thought bitterly. _And I thought he was so cool. I guess I'll just have to stop them myself. Maybe if I cry and whine enough..._  
  
Superboy, still in a daze, followed C-ko, who didn't deign to notice him. _What should I do?_ he asked himself for the hundredth time. _I can't let this go on, but I can't fight either of them. A-ko's a friend. And B-ko--I love B-...Tana,_ he corrected himself. _I love *Tana*._ His confused expression cleared. "I love *Tana*!" he cried aloud. Scowling, he launched himself into the air toward the battle.  
  
*******  
  
The brawl had drifted back to the blasted playground, where A-ko was making a stand. B-ko, having expended the last of her missiles, was unable to force her rival any further back. She paused to wipe blood out of her eyes. Her forehead had been slashed by a jagged piece of her own faceplate when A-ko had smashed it. _This *better* not leave a scar,_ she thought angrily. _Well, at least it wasn't an eye._ Fatigued, she leaned against a surprisingly intact merry-go-round.  
  
Across the playground, A-ko was leaning on the remains of the monkeybars, panting in fatigue. _I hope this doesn't go on much longer,_ she thought wearily. _I'm totally bushed. Well, time for the next round._ She stepped away from the bars.  
  
B-ko looked for a handy missile, and settled on the merry-go-round. Grunting with the effort, she ripped it from its moorings and hurled it with all her mecha-enhanced strength directly at her enemy, announcing her assault as a "Playground Special!" A-ko ducked hastily, and the heavy amusement device sailed over her head.  
  
*******  
  
C-ko, intent on rushing to her friend's side, failed to notice the deadly missile until it struck the ground fifty feet ahead of her. She stared in horror as it continued rolling directly at her small, fragile self. The terrified girl attempted to get out of the way, but slipped on a loose stone in her  
haste. C-ko could only cover her eyes and wail as the merry-go-round bore down on her like a juggernaut.  
  
Suddenly, a muscular arm encircled her waist and whirled her off the ground, causing C-ko to lose her grip on the strange device she had found. She never even noticed as it flew from her hand. Immediately after, she heard a loud crash right behind her and a grunted, "Oof!" Someone blew into her tousled hair.  
  
C-ko uncovered her eyes. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the grim face of her rescuer, with the wreckage of the former merry-go-round behind him. Superboy gently set her down.  
  
"Superboy!" C-ko exclaimed gratefully, gripping him in a fierce hug. "You saved me! Oh, I'm sorry about all the mean things I thought about you. You're still cool!"  
  
Superboy grinned roguishly. "Hey, I knew that," he said laughingly. He extracted himself from C-ko's embrace with difficulty, and told her, "C-ko, I need you to get out of here. I'm gonna try and stop those two maniacs before they totally hearse each other."  
  
"Do I have to go?" C-ko wheedled.  
  
"Sorry, kiddo," Superboy said apologetically. "but I can't stop them and look out for you at the same time. Never know when another killer merry-go-round might come by. Now beat it," he added gently. He pointed toward a crowd of people watching the battle from a safe distance. "Go join those dudes over there. See ya." He gave her a playful salute, as he took off.  
  
"Bye," C-ko answered, waving. Superboy angled his way toward the playground-cum-disaster area.  
  
C-ko looked over at the distant crowd. _That's too far away,_ she decided. _I'll watch from here._ She crouched down behind the wreckage of the merry-go-round and peeked over the top.  
  
*******  
  
After hurling her missile, B-ko charged her foe. A-ko, off-balance from dodging, was easily jagged with multiple strikes to the head, chest, and stomach. Finally, A-ko managed a side kick that gained her some breathing room. B-ko staggered back from the force of the blow. She was about to resume her assault when a blinking light from her gauntlet drew her attention. She glanced at it, and froze momentarily in shock.  
  
_Oh, geez, my power's running low!_ she thought, panicked. _I must have forgotten to hook it up to the recharger. How could I make such a colossal blunder?_ She had been extremely busy with her other projects, but still, to forget something so basic... She pushed the matter aside. She had to find away to end this battle quickly.  
  
"Where's a miracle when you need one?" she whispered, sighing.  
  
As if on cue, something landed in the sand about eight feet to her left. B-ko glanced at it automatically, keeping most of her attention on her opponent. It was her Kryptonite Beamer! Her miracle had arrived.  
  
B-ko didn't pause to wonder how it had arrived--she just dove for it, snatching it from the sand as A-ko landed feet-first where B-ko had just been. Spinning, B-ko came up in a kneeling position, her Beamer pointed unwaveringly at A-ko, who froze when she saw what her foe now held.  
  
"Now, you die, A-ko," B-ko growled.  
  
"Uh, don't you think you're taking this a little too far?" A-ko asked nervously, waving a hand in front of herself as if to ward off the anticipated ray.  
  
"No!" snapped B-ko. "It is *you* who went too far, when you attacked and humiliated Mari without provocation!"  
  
A-ko, needless to say, was confused by this accusation. "Mari was attacking C-ko at the time! I hardly call *that* 'without provocation'!" she retorted.  
  
"Not *then*, you idiot!" B-ko hissed. "I mean yesterday in the alley off of Macross Boulevard. *Surely* you remember," she sneered.  
  
"Surely I *don't*!" A-ko argued. "I wasn't anywhere near Macross Boulevard yesterday. I was with Superboy."  
  
"*Liar*! Mari's attacker had superstrength and red hair. Just how many people do you suppose answer that description?" B-ko asked pointedly. "And can Superboy confirm your alibi?"  
  
"Well, no," A-ko admitted. "He was unconscious. But..."  
  
"As I suspected," B-ko interrupted. "Your pathetic attempts to evade my divine retribution will avail you naught, A-ko. Prepare to face your well-deserved end."  
  
"Geez, who writes your dialogue?" A-ko asked, rolling her eyes. She beseeched the heavens. "Just shoot me now!"  
  
"I will," said B-ko, and did. The emerald ray enveloped A-ko, who collapsed onto the ground, writhing and screaming in pain. The beam was quickly followed by several more, each one geometrically increasing A-ko's agony.  
  
B-ko stopped firing for a moment. "Rotten choice of words," A-ko moaned. She painfully raised her head to see B-ko leveling her Beamer at her once more. "Not again," she whispered.  
  
Before B-ko could fire, they were both distracted by a male voice singing tunelessly, "Here I come to save the daaaaaay!" Superboy slammed into B-ko from above. With a quick movement he snatched the Beamer from B-ko's stunned hand and crushed it. Now sprawled on the ground, B-ko moaned in despair as her gauntlet's warning light died. Staving off Superboy's assault had completely drained her power.  
  
Superboy surveyed the scene. "Ah, gratuitous violence and senseless destruction," he said. "Reminds me of home."  
  
B-ko sat up. "Why?" she asked. "Why, when we mean so much to each other?"  
  
Superboy removed his shades and glared at B-ko with cold eyes. "'We' don't mean *squat*. I've *got* a girlfriend, and all the love potions in the world--this one, or any other--won't make me forget Tana Moon. Get some help." He turned his back on her contemptuously, and offered A-ko a hand up. "You okay?"  
  
"Getting there, I think," A-ko replied, accepting his assistance. "'Bout time you came to your senses."  
  
"Guess it's true what they say," Superboy grinned. "True love conquers all." He replaced his shades with a nonchalant air.  
  
"Heh," A-ko grunted. "So, what'll we do with B-ko?"  
  
"Turn her over to the authorities, I s'pose," Superboy replied, turning toward the defeated girl. He scowled when he spied the empty space where B-ko had been until a few moments before. "Or, we could let her escape while our backs are turned," he added with a growl. "Man, I *hate* when that happens."  
  
"C'mon, let's just find C-ko and get out of here," A-ko suggested. "I hope she's okay."  
  
"Yeah, she's all right," Superboy assured her. "But she was damn near hearsed by a runaway merry-go-round. You gotta be more careful with those things."  
  
"Oh, damn," said a stricken A-ko. "I should have caught it."  
  
"Don't beat yourself up about it," advised Superboy. "Just remember to always watch out for bystanders. They can't take the kind of punishment we can. Somethin' I learned some time ago."  
  
"Wasn't he cool?" came a voice from behind, startling them.  
  
"I thought I told you to wait with the crowd, C-ko," Superboy said.  
  
"Aw, I wouldn't have seen *anything* from all the way over there," C-ko whined.  
  
"Never mind, C-ko," A-ko said placatingly. "Why don't we call it a day?"  
  
"Uh-uh." C-ko shook her head repeatedly, whipping her short blond hair around. "We haven't seen the cartoon, yet."  
  
"Cartoon?" asked Superboy. _Why do I have a sinking feeling about this?_  
  
"Yeah, it's imported from America," A-ko replied. "C-ko *really* wants to see it."  
  
"Oh, joy," Superboy muttered. _Sinking feeling vindicated._  
  
A-ko pulled him close and whispered into his ear, "Listen, if we don't keep her distracted, she might try to feed us something again. Or cry."  
  
Superboy immediately plastered a huge grin on his face and said brightly, "An American cartoon, huh? Sounds great! Let's go!"  
  
A-ko smirked at his bad acting, but C-ko reacted with her usual enthusiasm. "*Yay!*" she enthused. "C-ko's going to see a cartoon!" She began skipping down a miraculously intact pathway, passing an old man dressed in a grounds-keeper's uniform who weeping inconsolably. A-ko and Superboy followed the small blond girl down the path, Superboy tucking the broken remains of the Beamer into a jacket pocket.  
  
*******  
  
Next Chapter: A-ko, C-ko, and Superboy watch a cartoon, but has A-ko fully recovered from her exposure to kryptonite? Meanwhile, B-ko hatches a new plot, while Knockout's new friend Miko displays some hidden talents.   



	6. Chapter 6: Aftermath: Enter Miko

This is a work of fanfiction. Superboy, Knockout, Tana Moon, Rex and Roxy Leech, Triad, and Jason Blood are all copyrighted by DC Comics and are not used with permission. Project: A-ko, A-ko herself, B-ko, C-ko, Asa, Kei, Graviton City, Graviton High School for Girls, the Akagiyama 23, and the Spaceship Hotel are all copyrighted by Soeishinsha/Final-Nishijima and Central Park Media and are *also* not used with permission. Olkon is my character, but I don't care what you do with him. Dress him in a tutu--he deserves it! :) This story may be posted and distributed freely--just don't monkey with my text, especially this heading. Got it? Good. I like comments, so send any you might have to David Outram at hkoutram@hsonline.net Flames shall be treated with the derisive laughter they deserve. Thank you.  
  
Project: S-boy  
Chapter 6: Aftermath: Enter Miko  
  
A-ko, worried about Superboy, walks in on them making out and, correctly guessing that B-ko had pulled a fast one, challenges her. In the argument that follows, B-ko reveals her new knowledge of A-ko's parentage, and that she had been spying on A-ko for some time now. Enraged, A-ko charges B-ko, only to be blocked by Superboy, who declares his love for the latter. A-ko confuses him by reminding him of his *real* love, Tana Moon, and slips by him. B-ko has prepared for A-ko's interference, however, and shoots A-ko with her new weapon--the Kryptonite Beamer!   
  
After a pitched battle, B-ko nearly finishes A-ko. Fortunately, Superboy comes to his senses just in time and rescues A-ko from death. Unfortunately, B-ko escapes before they can do anything about her.  
  
*******  
  
B-ko materialized in her storage room, fighting back her nausea. She hated teleporting herself, due to the severe strain it put on her system. Even so, times like this made her bless her foresight in installing this emergency escape system, complete with its own seperate power supply.  
  
The blue-haired girl slumped to the floor, tears of rage and shame flooding her eyes. _Damn A-ko!,_ she thought furiously. _Damn Superboy!_ She pounded her fists against the floor uselessly. _They made me run away like a coward! They won't get away with this humiliation. They'll pay--oh, how they'll pay! But how?_ She paused in her assault on the concrete floor. _Good question._  
  
Calming down somewhat, B-ko gave the matter some thought. Well, for starters, if she was going to take both A-ko and Superboy on at once, she was going to have to improve her Akagiyama armor. No problem there--she had been planning to do that for some time. Still, their two against her one wasn't her idea of favorable odds. She briefly considered using mecha to improve the odds, but finally decided against it. A-ko had proven herself far too resourceful a-  
gainst such opponents in the past, and B-ko had no doubt that Superboy would be equally resourceful. She needed something better.  
  
She needed a hostage.  
  
_Now, who would make a good hostage?_ she pondered. While seemingly the obvious choice, C-ko was absolutely out of the question. B-ko would never knowingly harm C-ko. A-ko knew this, so no bluff would be possible.  
  
_Perhaps A-ko's parents?_ Neither of them had any powers anymore, so they could be easily taken, as long as A-ko wasn't around. After some consideration, B-ko rejected them, as well. Kent Magami was too well-known in the media world, which made for far too many potential complications.  
  
_Maybe Kei?_ B-ko decided against him, for the same reason she had rejected C-ko.  
  
Finally, she had a burst of inspiration. "Tana Moon," she murmured. "The woman who took Superboy away from me. How appropriate." Of course, Tana Moon lived in an alternate universe, but, if Superboy could find his way to this Earth, B-ko was confident that she could find a way to his. After all, as she was fond of reminding people, there was nothing she couldn't do.  
  
With a diabolical grin, B-ko stood up. She had a lot of work to do. As she made her way to her private library for some preliminary research, she began to laugh. On her way, she passed the recreation room, where the three uninjured members of her Posse were relaxing. They stared after her in shock.  
  
"I don't think I like the sound of that laugh," commented Ume as she picked over the pastries lying on a tray beside her.  
  
"She's totally lost it," agreed Asa, returning her attention to the chess game between her and Ine. _Why did I let her talk me into this?_ she grumbled to herself as she pondered the gameboard. _She always wins._  
  
Ume swallowed the doughnut she had just stuffed into her mouth. "Did she ever *have* it?" she snorted.  
  
Ine moved her knight. "Checkmate." She turned to her overweight companion. "In all the time I've known her, B-ko's never been that...*intense*. Her encounter with A-ko and Superboy must not have gone well."  
  
Asa scowled at the chessboard, then grudgingly tipped her king over. "I wonder what happened," she mused.  
  
Ume shrugged. "Ask her," she suggested.  
  
"In the state she's in?" Asa demanded. "*You* ask her!"  
  
"Uh-*uh*!" Ume shook her head vigorously.  
  
Ine grimaced. "Then we'll just have to find out from A-ko," she said.  
  
Asa stared at Ine as though she had grown a third eye. "What, one of us just walks up to her and says, 'Hey, A-ko, what happened between you and B-ko today?'" She sniffed. "Mari'll have a roommate then!"  
  
"Of course, we're not going to *ask* her," Ine explained patiently. "We'll do what we usually do. Spy."  
  
Ume stood up. "Guess it's my turn," she said with resignation.  
  
Ine considered. "No," she decided. "We'd all better go on this one. Safety in numbers."  
  
Ume and Asa exchanged a glance. "Against *A-ko*?" Asa demanded.  
  
"Without even Mari?" Ume added.  
  
"We'll be armed, of course, and..." Ine began.  
  
"Lot of good *that'll* do!" Asa interrupted.  
  
Ignoring the interruption, Ine continued, "...and chances are, A-ko will never spot us. She never has before, you know. She not the most observant sort."  
  
Asa grimaced. "Okay. You got a point. So how do we find her?"  
  
Ine held up a tracking device. "She's probably with Superboy. B-ko told me that she would try to plant a tracer on his clothes. Let's see if she succeeded." She activated the device, and a small map of the city appeared on its screen, with a small dot flashing in the center. Manipulating the controls, Ine zoomed in on the dot, squinting at the small print that labeled the various  
buildings. Finally, she said, "It appears that Superboy's clothes are in Theatre E of the Cineplex. I presume Superboy is still in them, more's the pity."  
  
Asa grinned lasciviously. "What, didn't you see enough of him last night?"  
  
Ine, who hadn't meant to say the last three words of her statement aloud, flushed, but managed to come back with, "Not *nearly* enough," with a matching grin.  
  
Asa and Ume snickered. "Ah, I envy you," said Ume.  
  
"Come on," said Ine, reverting to business. "Let's get going."  
  
"Right." Asa and Ume followed Ine out of the room.  
  
*******  
  
Knockout tossed and turned in her bed, caught in the grip of a nightmare. Somehow Olkon had found her and was again attempting to have his way of her, but as Knockout tried to resist, she felt her strength draining away. Helpless, she stared in horror as one of the archfiend's bloated, slimy members inched closer to the entrance it desired. Small whimpers escaped the fright-  
ened woman's throat, to her shame. She tried to stop them, but they only got louder. She felt the tip contact her flesh.  
  
Knockout screamed, bolting upright in her bed. There was a crash as her nightstand collapsed under the impact of one of her flailing fists. She made an effort to slow her breathing to normal and calm down. "Only a nightmare. Only a nightmare," she repeated softly as a mantra.  
  
Her door burst open, and Miko rushed in, dressed in a blue nighty. "Kay-san! [Are you all right?]" she said, stopping at the foot of the bigger woman's bed.  
  
Knockout couldn't understand what Miko said, but she could make a good guess. "Yeah, I'm fine." She nodded her head. "Just had a bad dream." _What's wrong with me?_ she thought. _I've faced death countless times, and enjoyed every moment of it. Not even Granny's 'loving' attention could break me. But this...monster--_ She buried her face in her hands and shook with sobs. She was vaguely aware of her new friend, Miko, trying to comfort her.  
  
"Kay-san, [it's all right. Please, stop crying.]" Miko knew that Knockout couldn't understand her, but hoped that the tone of her voice would suffice.  
  
Gradually, Knockout's sobs eased. "Arigato." She gave Miko a half-smile. "I'm all right, now."  
  
Miko got up. "[I'm going to get dressed,]" she told an uncomprehending Knockout. "[I want to get in some shopping before work tonight. Would you like to come?]" When the woman she knew as Kay just stared at her, Miko dredged into her memories of high-school English classes and found a word that sounded right. "Shop?"  
  
Knockout understood finally, but still had one problem. "I haven't been paid, yet." She showed Miko her pitiful store of tips from one night's work. "No money, uh, *yen*. No yen."  
  
Miko had an answer to that, but lacked the vocabulary to convey it. She pondered for a moment, then, getting an idea, gestured for Knockout to follow. Knockout did so, pulling on a too-short bathrobe as she went.  
  
Miko entered the living room, and sat down on a chair facing a screen mounted in the wall. Her touch activated the screen, and a keyboard slid out of a recess. After about a minute of alternately touching the screen and typing at the keyboard, Miko found what she was looking for, and beckoned Knockout closer.  
  
Knockout looked over Miko's shoulder as the petite woman typed in a few Japanese characters. Miko paused, and a second later, the English word "loan" appeared on the screen. Then, one word at a time, she spelled out "to pay...me...later".  
  
Glancing at the top of the screen, Knockout noticed the words "Japanese-English On-line Dictionary" nestled among a bunch of Japanese print. She indicated that she wanted to use the keyboard, and Miko obligingly slid her chair aside. In dismay, Knockout stared at the Japanese-character keyboard layout until Miko, understanding, pushed a button on the side. The keyboard, which was essentially another touch-sensitive screen with keys printed on it, shifted its  
layout to the more familiar QWERTY set.  
  
Knockout hunted and pecked her way through the word "certain" and adopted a questioning expression. When Miko received the translation, she nodded and smiled. She tugged Knockout away from the keyboard. "Shop," she repeated.  
  
"All right, all right," Knockout groused in a good-natured way. "Just let me get dressed." She went to her room. _Guess I *do* need to buy some clothes for myself. Can't wear that school uniform all the time._ She went to the closet and pulled the uniform out of it. _Though I'll have to, for right now._ She felt a muted tugging from the Book of Olkon buried in the back of the closet and turned a glare in its direction.  
  
"I'd bet money *you're* the cause of my nightmare," she growled at it. "But as soon as I find a way, you're *history*."  
  
The only response was a more insistent tugging. Knockout quickly retreated from the closet. She pulled on the uniform and rejoined Miko, who had also gotten dressed. The two women left the apartment.  
  
*******  
  
A-ko, C-ko, and Superboy were sitting in Theatre E of the Cineplex, watching the cartoon. C-ko was enjoying it immensely, but her two companions were less enthusiastic.  
  
A-ko looked at her watch for the tenth time in as many minutes. _Forty-five minutes to go,_ she thought resignedly. _Oh, jeez._ She put a hand on her stomach. _I swear this thing's making me physically ill._  
  
Superboy, seated between the two girls, slumped in sheer boredom. He had discovered at the start of the movie that his telepathic earplug couldn't translate recorded dialogue. Not that it mattered with this one. He had immediately recognized it as _Charlotte's Web_, which for some idiotic reason had been included in his implanted knowledge. He had no idea why it had taken so long to reach Japan, nor did he care. He only wished fervently that the Japanese translators had decided to modify the ending so that Wilbur wound up on someone's breakfast plate. Serve that stupid pig right. He said as much to A-ko, who snickered appreciatively, then groaned in pain.  
  
Superboy looked more closely at the red-haired girl, and said, "Um, don't take this the wrong way, or anything, but you don't look so hot. Are you feeling all right?"  
  
"Not really," A-ko confessed. "I'm going to the ladies' room. Maybe splashing some water on my face'll help."  
  
"I'll go with you," Superboy said.  
  
A-ko cocked an eyebrow at him. "Excuse me...?"  
  
Superboy replayed what had just been said and winced. "Er, just as far as the concession stand. I wanted some popcorn." He fished in his jacket and pulled out a five-dollar bill. He scowled at it. "Um, could you loan me some money?"  
  
A-ko smiled and rolled her eyes. "Sure. Come on."  
  
Superboy leaned over to C-ko. "We're going to snag some popcorn," he told her. "Back in a few."  
  
"Mm-hmm," nodded C-ko, keeping her eyes on the screen.  
  
As Superboy beat his retreat with A-ko, he noticed a tall, buck-toothed girl giving a signal to a shorter, pony-tailed girl, who rose and walked toward the lobby up the other aisle. _Hmm. Wonder what that was about,_ he thought. He hastily shelved the concern for later examination as A-ko, ahead of him, staggered. "Hey, A-ko, you okay?" he asked as he reached her side.  
  
A-ko's response was a muffled groan as she leaned against a theatre seat for support. As Superboy moved closer for a better look in the dim lighting, she collapsed. Superboy quickly caught her before her head hit the floor.  
  
"C-ko! Get over here!" he shouted. Parents turned their heads to glare at him for his outburst, and noticed A-ko's condition. A crowd quickly formed.  
  
"What's wrong with her?" asked a child.  
  
"Is she going to die?" asked another.  
  
An adult exclaimed, "Hey, isn't that the girl that was in the news this morning?"  
  
"Probably caught a chill, then," commented another. "Serves her right, going around in that state of undress."  
  
"Not bad-looking, though."  
  
"Pervert."  
  
Superboy, with a look of disgusted annoyance, snarled, "Everybody *SHUT UP*!" As a shocked silence descended, he asked A-ko, "What's the matter?"  
  
A-ko, sweating heavily and looking greenish, mumbled, "Don't know. Been getting...sicker and sicker...since fight."  
  
"Why didn't you *say* anything?" Superboy demanded.  
  
"Didn't want...upset...C-ko." A-ko voice grew fainter. "Wha'd...B-ko...do to me?...Kryptonite..." Her eyes closed as she passed out.  
  
_Kryptonite,_ Superboy thought. _Oh, no!_ He rapidly searched through the pockets of his jacket and pulled out the crushed remains of B-ko's Kryptonite Beamer. In the dim light of the theatre, he could easily see the green glow emanating through a crack in what looked suspiciously like lead shielding.  
  
"Shit!" Superboy charged through the crowd, his tactile-telekinesis knocking people aside like bowling pins. "Outta my *way*!" he shouted. Finally, he got smart and soared into the air, sailing above the heads of the theatre patrons. He flew through the lobby and, without pause, crashed through the glass entrance doors.  
  
_Gotta stash this where no one will find it again,_ he thought frantically. _The ocean?_ He snorted. _Not after that fiasco with my x-ray specs. Where?_  
  
Suddenly he smacked his forehead. "Duh!" he berated himself. "I can fix this puppy myself." He held the broken Beamer before his eyes and concentrated. Slowly, the crack in the shielding closed itself. Discarding the other parts of the Beamer, Superboy carefully checked the shielding for other defects. Satisfied, he replaced the lump of lead in his jacket pocket.  
  
Superboy returned to the theatre and flew over the crowd surrounding A-ko again. He saw that C-ko had managed to force her way into the center and was now cradling A-ko's head in her lap, crying and begging A-ko to wake up. Occasionally, she would raise her head to hiss at someone she felt had gotten too close, including two hapless paramedics.  
  
Superboy landed in the space at the center of the crowd. C-ko raised her head and demanded, "Where did you go? A-ko's real sick! How could you just leave like that?"  
  
"Whoa, easy!" Superboy said soothingly. "I just had to take care of the thing that was making her sick, that's all."  
  
"So she'll get better now?" C-ko asked hopefully.  
  
"Yeah, she should," Superboy assured her. "But we'd better take her home. Her dad would know more about this than me."  
  
Superboy gathered A-ko's unconscious form into his arms, and carried her through the crowd, which parted obligingly. The paramedics tried to halt him, but Superboy shrugged them off and took A-ko outside. C-ko followed him.  
  
"Climb onto my back," Superboy instructed C-ko. "I can carry both of you." With a running jump, C-ko did so, and wrapped her arms and legs around his torso.  
  
"You secure?" Superboy asked. C-ko made an affirmative noise, and Superboy took off. "Up, up, and we're outta here!"  
  
"*Whee*!" C-ko yelled, lost in the thrill of the moment. Superboy winced. C-ko's mouth had been right next to his ear.  
  
"You ever fly before?" he asked, shaking his head vigorously. _Maybe if I can keep her talking, she won't get too worried about A-ko,_ he thought. _Shouldn't be too hard..._  
  
"Only when A-ko and me are late for school. 'Course, that's almost every day. She *never* gets up on time." C-ko giggled.  
  
"I thought A-ko couldn't fly," Superboy said.  
  
"Oh, she doesn't fly," C-ko replied. "She just runs real fast and jumps over houses and stuff. She drags me along by the wrist, and my feet don't touch the ground 'til we reach the school gate."  
  
"Why at the gate? You so late they close it on you?"  
  
"Nah, A-ko'd just jump over it then. We stop there 'cause that's where B-ko usually waits for us."  
  
"This the same B-ko that A-ko was trashing the park with?"  
  
"Yeah," C-ko nodded, though Superboy couldn't see it. "She always has some new mecha or something for A-ko to fight every morning (and A-ko's getting *really* tired of it!) She builds them herself."  
  
"Herself? *Every* morning?" Superboy asked, incredulous. "When does she get any sleep?"  
  
"Beats me," C-ko shrugged. "Hey, what's that in your ear?" She poked the ear in question.  
  
"Huh?" said Superboy intelligently. "Oh, that's my telepathic earplug. It's what lets me talk to you."  
  
"You mean if you didn't have that, you couldn't talk?" C-ko asked in a sympathetic tone of voice.  
  
Superboy laughed. "No, I can talk just fine without it. Just not in Japanese."  
  
"Oh? What *do* you speak?"  
  
"American, of course. Uh, English, that is."  
  
"English!" C-ko exclaimed. "That's my favorite class! Well, next to home economics. I just wish they'd teach us to speak it better, rather than just read it. Reading's boring, but I love talking. I guess you can tell. Hey, what does English sound like? When a native speaks it, I mean."  
  
"Well, that depends on where the native's from," Superboy replied. "But, if you take my earplug out, I'll give you a sample of genuine Hawaiian (by way of Metropolis)-accented English."  
  
"Wow! Great!" exclaimed C-ko. She reached for Superboy's ear.  
  
"Don't drop it," Superboy warned her. "It's the only way I have to talk to you."  
  
"I won't," C-ko promised. She pulled the plug out and held it tightly in her small fist. "[Okay, say something.]"  
  
Superboy grinned mischievously. _I probably shouldn't, but I just can't resist,_ he thought. "You and A-ko are total betties and I wanna scope you both naked." _I'm evil,_ he chuckled mentally.  
  
C-ko replaced the earplug. "Wow, that sounded cool!" she said. "I think I heard 'A-ko' in there. What'd you say?"  
  
_Think fast,_ Superboy thought. "I said, 'You and A-ko have been good friends and I'm glad I met you both." _Close enough._  
  
"Hey, thanks! Me, too!" C-ko gushed. She started singing, "A-ko and Su-perboy are my friends. C-ko's so hap-py when she's wiiiith them!"  
  
_Great. Now I feel so guilty,_ Superboy thought. _Well, at least I've managed to distract her._ "C-ko, is that A-ko's house down there?" he asked. He gestured with his chin, since his arms were full.  
  
C-ko peered past his shoulder. "I think so," she replied. "It looks different from up here."  
  
"Good enough for me." Superboy landed by the front door, and C-ko climbed down from his back. "Could you get the doorbell?"  
  
"Sure." C-ko pressed the button beside the door. "Mrs. Magaaaaami!" she called. "It's C-ko and Superboy! Let us in--A-ko's hurt!" She waited a moment. "I don't think anyone's home," she said.  
  
Superboy considered. "This is too important," he decided. "Let's go on in."  
  
C-ko tried to open the door, but found it was locked. "A-ko should have a key," she suggested.  
  
Superboy managed to restrain himself from the momentary temptation to search A-ko for her key by considering the tongue-lashing he would receive from Tana if she were to ever find out about it. Not to mention the bruises he'd likely receive from A-ko. Oh, well--he had another way.  
  
"Who needs a key?" he said jauntily. He placed his foot against the door, and extended his tactile-telekinetic field.  
  
"You're not gonna smash it, are you?" asked C-ko worriedly.  
  
"Nope," Superboy assured her. "Just gonna use my patented tactile-telekinesis to jimmy the lock. Just push that latch...got it!" He smiled with satisfaction, and shoved the door open.  
  
"Cool!" exclaimed C-ko as she bounded inside. She ran ahead of Superboy and his burden, and by the time he reached A-ko's bedroom, C-ko had the door open and the blanket on A-ko's bed thrown back.  
  
Superboy paused. _Should we undress her first?_ he wondered. _After all, she did it to me..._ He got a sudden vision of Tana wielding a flame-thrower. _Better not,_ he sighed. He settled for having C-ko remove A-ko's shoes and socks, then slipped the girl between the sheets.  
  
"Keep an eye on her," he told C-ko. "I'm gonna call her dad."  
  
"Uh-huh," agreed C-ko. She sat at the foot of A-ko's bed and stared worriedly at her friend's greenish pallor.   
  
Superboy returned downstairs and looked for a phone. He walked by it four times before recognizing the vidphone for what it was, then spent several minutes trying to figure out how to work it. He finally gave up in disgust, and called C-ko down to help. He explained the problem--all the buttons were labeled in Japanese--and C-ko, with a smug air, pressed two buttons in rapid order, then returned upstairs to her friend's bedside.  
  
Superboy cast a mildly irritated glance at C-ko's retreating back, then returned his attention to the viewscreen as a pretty secretary appeared and spoke something in rapid Japanese.  
  
_Oh, great. The 'plug doesn't work over the phone, either,_ Superboy thought disgustedly. He plowed on anyway. "I need to talk to Kent Magami. *Please*, speak English."  
  
"Certainly," the secretary replied in slightly-accented English. "Whom should I say is calling?"  
  
"Sup--uh, just tell him it's that kid he met yesterday," Superboy said. _Maybe I oughtta think about getting a regular name. Superboy's cool and all, but sometimes it can be kinda awkward._ "Please, it's important. His daughter's been hurt."  
  
"I'll put you through," the secretary replied. The viewscreen switched to a lightshow, while music played from the speaker.  
  
_Guess I've been put on hold,_ Superboy thought. _At least the music's okay._  
  
A moment later, Mr. Magami's face appeared. "What happened to A-ko?" he demanded. "How was she hurt? No, wait. Let me guess. B-ko, right?"  
  
Superboy nodded. "Yeah. She found out who you were, and used kryptonite on A-ko."  
  
"Kryptonite!" Kent exclaimed. "What kind?"  
  
"What *kind*?" Superboy repeated, confused. "There's only one, isn't there? Green? Kills humans slow and kryptonians less slow?"  
  
"I guess it's different on your world," Kent mused. "So it was green K. Where's A-ko now?"  
  
"In bed, unconscious," Superboy replied. "C-ko's watching her."  
  
"Okay, good," Kent said. "How bad a dose do you think she received?"  
  
"She took several hits from a 'Kryptonite Beamer' that B-ko made, and after the fight she seemed okay," Superboy explained. "But, well, I took the Beamer with me when we left the scene. I didn't want anyone else to find it."  
  
"Good thinking," Kent commented. "But...?"  
  
"There was a crack in the lead shielding," Superboy confessed. "I didn't notice it 'til later. I was pretty close to her most of that time--maybe half an hour."  
  
Mr. Magami looked worried. "I'd better come over and see her for myself. I'll be there in about forty minutes. Keep an eye on her."  
  
"Right. See you." The screen went blank. Superboy sat for a moment at the phone, contemplating this turn of events, then returned upstairs to join C-ko.  
  
*******  
  
Knockout and Miko made their way down the darkening street, laden with packages. While shopping wasn't usually Knockout's idea of a good time, she had to admit that she had enjoyed herself. The main thing she was pleased about was the green leotard she had found. With suitable modifications, it would look exactly like the costume that Olkon had destroyed.  
  
The tall woman felt a shiver run down her back at the thought of the archfiend, and cursed her weakness. _This is gonna drive me nuts,_ she thought. _Why can't I get that bastard out of my mind?_  
  
She emerged from her reverie only to find that the street they were walking down had apparantly dimmed to match her dark thoughts. A glance at a streetlight showed that, while they were functioning, they seemed to have little effect on the local light level.  
  
Knockout heard Miko mutter something. Glancing at her companion, she saw the smaller woman carefully scanning the area. Noting that Miko had assumed a defensive stance, Knockout dropped her bundles and followed suit.  
  
Abruptly, several shapes emerged from the shadows directly in the path of the two women. Knockout cast a look over her shoulder and spotted more shapes converging from the rear. A quick count revealed ten opponents in all. Knockout moved to cover Miko's back. She hoped the other woman could handle herself in a fight.  
  
The shadowy figures closed in, forming a loose circle around Miko and Knockout. They halted, just outside the range of a kick. They all appeared to be young men and women, though something seemed to be wrong with their eyes. It wasn't the size--Knockout was used to seeing unusually large eyes by now--but these eyes seemed to be totally blank. No pupil or white was visible--just huge irises.  
  
One of the strange people facing Miko spoke in English. "We have run you to ground, at last, Miko, my dear."  
  
Strangely, Miko seemed to understand the man, as she responded with an angry torrent of Japanese.  
  
The man laughed. "Oh, come on, Miko. There are ten of us to two of you. And I doubt if your large friend has the skills necessary to deal with the likes of us."  
  
"Don't bet on it, scumball," Knockout growled.  
  
The woman directly in front of Knockout had been staring curiously at her for some time now, so Knockout locked gazes in an attempt to intimidate her. The woman's eyes widened in recognition.  
  
"Kag!" the woman called to the man in front of Miko. "The large red-hair--she is the Chosen of Olkon!" Suddenly, everyone's attention was on Knockout, who had paled at the mention of the demon lord.  
  
"Nani...?" Miko started to say, just as the one identified as Kag shouted, "Seize her! The Master will reward us greatly for her return!" The surrounding foes shed their human forms and charged forward.  
  
The danger snapped Knockout out of her stunned trance, and she threw a fist into the face of the demon that had identified her. The misshapen creature flew back with the force of the blow, crashing into a streetlight. Knockout had enough time to see the creature stagger to its feet before other enemies demanded her attention.  
  
Behind her, Miko had her hands full as she took on five demons. She had drawn a sword that Knockout didn't remember noticing before, and was using it to good effect. Miko's opponents drew back before her curtain of flashing steel. One of the demons stumbled as it retreated. Instantly, Miko's sword thrust out, transfixing the unfortunate fiend. She quickly withdrew her weapon and returned to her defensive pattern. The stricken demon slumped to the ground, its  
material form destroyed.  
  
Four demons closed in on Knockout, the one she had punched following them. One paused to make a few gestures. A crimson aura glowed around the fiend as it channeled energy for its attack. Knockout grabbed a demon that had foolishly gotten too close and pulled it into the line of fire. She grunted as she took a kick to the stomach, then grinned evilly as her prisoner took the blast of energy meant for her. She hurled the extra-crispy corpse at Fireball, and turned toward her remaining opponents, still grinning. Her foes glanced at each other, then charged her en masse. Knockout managed to smack two of them away, but the third slipped past her guard and slashed at her torso with a clawed hand. The claws only scratched Knockout's extremely tough skin, but her blouse was sliced to ribbons. Knockout scowled as it fell away from her chest. She didn't have to look down to know what was now showing.  
  
_Deja vu,_ she thought. "I just *bought* that, you bastard!" she snarled at the offending demon. She grabbed it by the head, and, with a quick twist, snapped its neck. Seeing that the Fireball was getting to its feet again, she sent the new corpse its way. This time there was a satisfying *crack* as something broke, and the energy-hurling demon stayed down.  
  
Two left. Apparantly for lack of anything more imaginative, they charged her again. Rather than knock them away once more, the red-haired amazon grabbed them both and smashed their heads together. Dropping the gruesome remains, Knockout turned to see if Miko needed any help.  
  
The smaller woman had reduced her opponents to one, but that one was Kag, the leader of the group of demons. He had obtained his own sword and was slowly driving the fatigued warrior back. Knockout watched the dazzling swordplay for a moment, then walked over to a parked car and hoisted it over her head.  
  
"Miko!" she shouted. "Down!" She then hurled the automobile at the battling pair.  
  
Miko didn't understand Knockout's warning, but saw the motion out of the corner of her eye, and kissed the concrete. Kag, just coming out of a spinning attack, failed to notice the oncoming missile until it smacked him in the face. Inertia kept the car moving until it crashed into a building wall, with the hapless demon pinned in between.  
  
Knockout rushed to the point of impact, ready to administer the coup de gras, only to find that Kag had disappeared, leaving only smears of purple ichor.  
  
"Over here," came a voice from her left. Knockout spun in that direction. Kag was there, seriously injured, but still standing. "Impressive, but I should expect no less from the Chosen One."  
  
"Don't call me that," growled Knockout. "I want nothing to do with Olkon."  
  
"That is immaterial," said the demon. "You *are* the Chosen. Your desires mean nothing to the Book of Olkon. Now, I'm through playing around." Kag made a gesture with one hand. "In the name of the Great Master, Olkon, I command you! Come with me now!"  
  
Knockout stiffened as the magical command clamped down on her mind. "Y-yes." She took a hesitant step forward.  
  
Miko, horrified, banished her sword and began rooting through her purse. "C'mon, I know you're in here somewhere," muttered to herself in Japanese.  
  
Knockout's whole body trembled as she fought the demon's control. _No!_ she thought desperately. "N-no!" she cried aloud. "I won't be chained again! Not by Granny; not by Olkon; and definitely not by *you*! Get *out*!" She focused all her mental energy and struck savagely at Kag's influence.  
  
Kag reeled under Knockout's mental counter-assault, and cursed as his control over the red-haired human was shattered. As he recovered from the psychic blow, Knockout continued her attack in a more conventional way. Her boots slammed into the demon's chest, sending him skidding into another parked car.  
  
_I've had enough,_ Kag thought. _I'm too close to losing my material form._ He began the gestures required to return him to his home plane.  
  
"Damn!" Knockout swore as her fist struck the car behind where Kag had been. She scanned the area for her enemy as the car slid across the street. She found no sign of him, although she thought she heard a voice in the back of her mind say, _I'll be back, Chosen One. You belong to Olkon, and, sooner or later, you shall go to his side. Be ready._  
  
"Bullshit," Knockout muttered. "I'm free, and I'm gonna stay that way."  
  
_Guess I won't be needing this, after all,_ an impressed Miko thought, returning the stiff strip of paper to her purse.  
  
*******  
  
Next Chapter: B-ko's plot to avenge herself on A-ko and Superboy advances, while a new character is introduced. She sure seems familiar, though... Also, Olkon returns.  



	7. Chapter 7: The Conjuction

This is a work of fanfiction. Superboy, Knockout, Tana Moon, Rex and Roxy Leech, Triad, and Jason Blood are all copyrighted by DC Comics and are not used with permission. Project: A-ko, A-ko herself, B-ko, C-ko, Asa, Kei, Graviton City, Graviton High School for Girls, the Akagiyama 23, and the Spaceship Hotel are all copyrighted by Soeishinsha/Final-Nishijima and Central Park Media and are *also* not used with permission. Olkon is my character, but I don't care what you do with him. Dress him in a tutu--he deserves it! :) This story may be posted and distributed freely--just don't monkey with my text, especially this heading. Got it? Good. I like comments, so send any you might have to David Outram at hkoutram@hsonline.net Flames shall be treated with the derisive laughter they deserve. Thank you.  
  
Project: S-boy  
Chapter 7  
The Conjuction  
  
Kag materialized in the open space before his master's stronghold. As always,  
he paused a moment to admire the fortress's magnificent hideousness. _Enough,_  
he sighed finally. _Time to face the music._ With a determined air, the in-  
jured demon limped through the entrance portal, the guardsdemons saluting him  
as he passed them. Within a few moments, Kag arrived before his master's  
throne.  
  
"You do not bear her corpse," Olkon noted. "Explain yourself."  
  
Kag swallowed nervously. Olkon rarely took failure on the part of his minions  
well. "She had a companion, my lord--the Chosen One."  
  
"The Chosen One," Olkon repeated, scowling. "You do not have her, either.   
Correct?"   
  
"No, my lord," Kag confessed. "Either one of them my squad could have handled,  
but both together"--he shook his head--"they were too much."  
  
Olkon's misshapen face twisted in rage. "Silence!" he thundered. "To the hea-  
vens with your excuses!" Kag blinked at his master's use of profanity. Olkon  
continued, "What of the spell of submission my Book was supposed to have laid  
on her? Didn't you attempt to Command her in my name?"  
  
Kag quailed under his master's anger. "Y-yes, my lord, I did!" he stammered.  
"She shattered the mental link! Her will--it's too strong for the spell."  
  
Olkon roared in rage. "Incompetent!" Kag was sent flying across the chamber  
with a vicious backhand. "Weak-minded fool!" As Kag got to his feet, one of  
Olkon's tentacles whipped around his throat.  
  
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't give you over to my torturers to play  
with," Olkon growled. He punctuated his words by tapping the choking demon  
forcefully between the eyes with the tip of another tentacle.  
  
From this close perspective, Kag noticed that the tapping appendage was the one  
that the Chosen One had damaged, still unhealed. This reminder of his master's  
vulnerability bolstered his confidence a trifle. "I...know where...the Chosen  
One is," he choked out through his constricted throat. "I can...find her again.  
Just...give me...another chance...a larger...force."  
  
Olkon let Kag drop to the floor. As the lesser demon sat there, wheezing and  
massaging his throat, the greater one said, "Very well. You have served me  
well in the past, and you are correct--the Chosen One *is* formidable. She  
would not be worthy of her status otherwise. You have your second chance. A  
force of thirty demons will be provided to you."  
  
Kag stood up, ready to thank his master profusely, but Olkon interrupted, mov-  
ing to stand nose-to-snout with his minion. "Do *not* fail me again!" Olkon  
growled. "Is that understood?"  
  
Kag stepped back and bowed humbly. "Perfectly, master."  
  
"Good." Olkon waved him away. "You are dismissed. Make your preparations."  
  
"Yes, master." Kag bowed once more for good measure, and hurried from the  
archdemon's sight.  
  
After Kag left, Olkon retired to his scrying chamber. He squatted at the edge  
of the pool and peered into its murky depths. "The Conjunction begins," he  
murmured to himself. "Kag had *better* retrieve my Book within a few days. If  
I fail because of him..." The demon lord's voice trailed off as he continued to  
stare into the water.  
  
*******  
  
The nameless demon was in the middle of a pitched battle with a surprisingly  
formidable human when he received the call to break off the search for the  
Chosen One. It seemed she had been located in another dimension, and the de-  
mon was now needed to join a strike force that was assembling in that realm.  
  
The demon's opponent took advantage of his momentary distraction to launch a  
powerful spinning kick that sent the netherfiend crashing into a stand of  
trees. Rising to his feet again, the demon glared at his diminutive, but  
troublesome foe. She seemed so weak at first, standing barely half the fiend's  
ten feet of height. The demon had envisioned having an entertaining time with  
the young woman as he interrogated her for the Chosen One's location. Now, half  
an hour later, the battered creature was beginning to seriously rethink the  
wisdom of that approach. _Time to go,_ he thought.   
  
The fiend began the gestures required to open an interdimensional portal.  
The woman he was fighting, expecting another attack, leapt into a nearby tree  
to make some distance. Raising one small hand, she began shouting, "Shishi..."  
The demon paid her little attention at first, caught up in his own spell, until  
he noticed the azure battle aura surrounding his foe, and realized that she  
was about to do something nasty. He sped up his spell, uttering the final syl-  
lable just as the angry woman snarled, "...Hokodan!" A sizzling ball of ki en-  
ergy shot from her extended hand and exploded against the demon's torso, hurl-  
him through the just-opening portal.  
  
The woman stared at the portal with her smoldering green eyes, her rage at the  
demon undiminished. After what he had attempted to do to her, she refused to  
rest until he was dead at her feet. Leaping from her tree, she landed lightly  
on her feet and ran through the portal, which disappeared immediately behind  
her. A few inches of her blond ponytail fell to the ground, severed by the  
portal's closure.   
  
*******  
  
The rising sun over Graviton City, burning through the clouds from last  
night's rain, found B-ko Daitokuji in her workshop, laughing maniacally, shou-  
ting, "Found it! Found it at last!" She was sitting before the monitor of a  
computer that was methodically scanning each dimension as her newly-built  
Dimensional Doorway Device, as she had named it, located it.  
  
The first world she had found had been little but primordial slime, so,  
chortling to herself, she had labeled it Universe A. The second had been a  
technological wonderland that B-ko ould have dearly loved to explore further,  
had she not had other business, so she had labeled it Universe B. The third  
had been an enkless untouched wilderness, breathtaking in its beauty. Smi-  
ling at the appropriateness, B-ko had labeled that one Universe C. After  
that, she simply continued the alphabetical designations. When she reached  
the end of the romanji alphabet, she started over with Universe AA and contin-  
ued from there. And now, finally, in the 107th universe, Universe DC, she  
had found Superboy's homeworld.  
  
Still giggling, B-ko stood up and stretched, her muscles stiff from hours of  
disuse. She glanced at her watch. _Another sleepless night,_ she thought  
with a grimace. _Oh, well. No time for a nap now. I've got a hostage to  
capture._  
  
Yawning, she made her way to her storage room and donned her Akagiyama 23 bat-  
tlesuit. Taking a spare helmet to replace the one A-ko had destroyed, she  
returned to her workroom. Once there, she initiated the process that would  
open a portal between her workshop and a museum in Superboy's Hawaii, where  
there was a thin spot in the dimensional wall.  
  
As she waited for her machine to warm up, she took the opportunity to look o-  
ver the plans for her new battlesuit. She cursed as her eyes refused to fo-  
cus on the diagram. _This will never do,_ she thought angrily. _I won't cap-  
ture anybody unless I'm fully alert._ Sighing, she rose from her CAD station  
and crossed the room to a locked cabinet. She unlocked it and removed some-  
thing from within its interior. She looked at the small bottle in mild dis-  
gust. _I hate taking these things, but it's the only way right now._ The le-  
vel of the pills in the bottle indicated that this had been the 'only way' for  
some time already. She took the bottle with her to the small washroom that  
connected to her workshop and ran some water. When she returned, she looked  
much more alert.  
  
Checking her battlesuit plans again, she made a few quick corrections and  
stood up. "This will be my best one yet," she chortled to herself. "A-ko,  
Superboy--this time you'll both *die*!"  
  
Satisfied, she checked her DDD. It was ready for her departure. Securing  
her helmet, B-ko stepped through the arch that defined the portal. With a  
flash of light, she disappeared.  
  
*******  
  
Miko settled herself in the chair placed before the screen of her vidphone.  
Knockout had finally gone to bed, after a long night of dancing, giving her  
roommate the privacy she needed to make this call.  
  
She punched the necessary buttons, and after a few moments, the face of who  
looked to be an older version of Miko appeared on the screen. "Hello, Miko,"  
the older woman greeted her, a serious expression on her face. "I was about to  
call you myself."  
  
"You were?" Miko asked, surprised. "What for, Mother?"  
  
Before the woman could reply, she was interrupted by a series of crashes coming  
from behind her. The raised voices of two women in battle could be heard over  
the line. Miko's mother winced at a particularly loud crash and rolled her  
eyes.  
  
"They're at it again, huh?" Miko asked rhetorically.  
  
Miko's mother aimed a glare at someone offscreen and replied, "Of course they  
are. They don't let a single morning pass." She sighed. "Would it be dishon-  
orable of me to wish that one of them have a heart attack and spare me this  
nonsense?"  
  
Miko smirked and commented, "I think it would."  
  
"Hm. Pity," replied the older woman. "Well, we're drifting off the subject.  
I performed a reading earlier this morning. It's started."  
  
Miko's face darkened. "The Conjunction?"  
  
Miko's mother nodded. "Exactly. Even now, the boundaries between the various  
planes of existence are weakening. People will begin to cross these boundaries  
soon. Some may already have."  
  
"How do you mean, exactly?" Miko asked.  
  
The older woman went into lecture mode. "As the barriers weaken, they become  
more permeable. Holes will begin to appear at random in space, and if one  
isn't careful, one can easily step through to another world. Eventually, the  
holes will widen, and join together. The dimensions will begin to merge, com-  
bining elements of them all into one. At this point, the one called Olkon will  
cast his spell, and gain the power to rule the conjoined universe."  
  
Miko sighed. "Most of that I know already, Mom. You could have stopped after  
'step through to another world.'"  
  
"Don't be impertinent," her mother snapped. "You need to have all the informa-  
tion you can get to have a chance of stopping Olkon's plot."  
  
"It's going to take more than information this time, Mom," Miko commented.  
"Which brings me to why I called you in the first place. I've found the Cho-  
sen One."  
  
The other woman's face brightened. "You have? Excellent! Your chances have  
improved already. Who is she?"  
  
"An American who calls herself Kay," Miko replied. "I've befriended her  
already, but there is a problem--she doesn't speak Japanese, and I can't speak  
English well enough to communicate with her effectively."  
  
Her mother nodded. "That does prove a problem, but a solvable one. I'm going  
to send you an artifact that will allow you to communicate with her. It should  
arrive later today." The older woman smiled. "The wonders of modern technology.  
In my day, you would have had to wait at least a week."  
  
Miko smiled back. "Thanks, Mom. I owe you one."  
  
"Just stop that devil from taking over the universes," the older woman said.  
"There is one more matter--Olkon's Book. The prophecy indicated that the Cho-  
sen would have it in her possession. Does she?"  
  
Miko shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't seen her carrying it around, anyway."  
  
"You must find out its whereabouts," Miko's mother said. "At all costs, it  
must be kept out of Olkon's hands. It is the key to his plan. I can feel it."  
  
Miko nodded, knowing that her mother's intuitions were usually right on the  
mark. "I'll do my best, Mother. You can count on me." She yawned. "I'd bet-  
ter get to sleep soon. I had to fight Kag again yesterday evening, and work  
right after. I'm pretty beat."  
  
Her mother frowned. "You should find a better way to pay your bills than un-  
dressing for complete strangers."  
  
Miko scowled at the screen's image. "Mother, we've been over this before. It's  
as good a way as any to make money, I'm good at it, and I enjoy doing it. 'Nuff  
said."  
  
Her mother sighed. "I just worry about you, Miko. You have too much of your  
grandmother in you."  
  
"Look," Miko said in irritation, "I 'preserved my purity' long enough to take  
over the duty. What I do now is no further concern of yours, okay? Now if you  
don't mind, I really need my sleep."  
  
"Very well," came the response. "But this isn't over."  
  
"I didn't think it was," Miko sighed. "Bye."  
  
"Bye." Miko cut the connection, and stood up. _Damn Mother anyway,_ she  
thought, stalking to the bathroom to ready herself for bed. As she showered  
and brushed her teeth, she continued her thought. _Why does she have to bring  
that up every time we talk? What is so wrong about my lifestyle?_ She shook  
her head in irritation, beads of water flying from her short brown hair. _Ah,  
screw it. I'm too tired to stay angry._ She stepped out of the shower stall  
and reached for a towel to dry herself. Yawning again, she stumbled into her  
bedroom and collapsed onto the sheets, not bothering to put on her nightie, and  
quickly fell asleep.  
  
*******  
  
The short blond woman glanced at the end of her ponytail in irritation, then  
dismissed the damage as irrelevant. Instead, she concentrated on her fallen  
opponent, looking for signs of movement as she approached him. There were  
none, and she came up next to the inhuman body unmolested. She nodded to her-  
self, finally satisfied that the demon was dead, and examined her surroundings.  
  
She was in a grimy alley that the rising sun was unable to fully illuminate.  
Trash spilled out of a dumpster set five feet from her position, which she dis-  
missed after a cursory scan. Peering into the shadows, she discovered that she  
was not alone. "Who's there?" she demanded.  
  
"Good eyes, cutie," came a nasty voice from the shadows. "Not that they'll  
help ya now." The owner of the voice whistled, and a loading door behind the  
woman slid up to reveal six people, all male and dressed in gang colors. Seven  
more emerged from the shadows to her front, including the owner of the nasty  
voice, who stood staring at his prize lustfully. Other gang members surrounded  
her, keeping a safe distance for now, alternately looking at her and the fallen  
demon.  
  
"What the hell is that thing?" one asked, glancing nervously at the corpse.  
  
"Who cares? It's dead," came the reply. "But if you'd rather have that, go  
right ahead. Be one less to share her." Loud laughter accompanied the remark.  
  
"All right, shut up," said Nasty Voice, who appeared to be the leader. He  
turned toward the trapped woman, who glowered at him in anger. "Okay, beauti-  
ful, how do you want it? Easy or hard?"  
  
"I dunno, man, she don't look scared," another ganger interupted. "She's  
armed, too."  
  
"Shut it, I said!" the leader snarled. "If you're so damn scared, then get the  
fuck out of here. I don't need no damn cowards."  
  
"Hey, I ain't a freakin' coward, all right? Just pointin' it out."  
  
"Yeah, fine. But you better not wimp out." Nasty Voice returned his attention  
once again to the woman, who had not moved in the interim. "Just so you know,  
there's thirteen of us to one of you. Don't try anything stupid."  
  
The woman was well aware of the odds. She smiled tightly and asked, "Stupid?  
You mean, like this?" With this, she leaped into the air and landed feet-first  
on the face of Nasty Voice, immediately felling the two gangers next to him  
with lightning-quick blows to the stomachs. As the two collapsed to the  
ground, retching, someone shouted, "Get her!" and the entire group rushed her.  
She took a moment to tear off the headband that restrained her hair, revealing  
another one beneath, which she also tore off. After removing several more, she  
hurled them at her onrushing opponents, causing several of them to fall to the  
ground, screaming in pain. The six remaining gangers paused only a moment at  
this, then attacked, pulling weapons from their hiding places. The young woman  
had only enough time to unsheath her own pair of combat knives before they were  
upon her.  
  
She could immediately tell that she was the best fighter here, and her blades  
were superior to those of her opponents, but she knew that she couldn't hold  
off six determined foes in hand-to-hand combat forever. As she desperately  
parried and dodged the wild strikes of her enemies, she pondered ways to get  
out of this.  
  
She immediately ruled out a repeat of her ki blast; she would be caught in the  
explosion, too, and while she cared little for her own life, she refused to  
waste it on trash like her opponents. The Breaking Point was also useless  
here; her foes pressed her too closely to risk taking the time to locate said  
point on any of the nearby walls or ground. Then she remembered the technique  
that old woman had shown her the year before, when she was wandering the ruins  
of China, in mourning for her husband. Still desperately holding off her   
attackers, she tried to remember how it went.  
  
"Kashu Tenshin Amagurikan!" The phrase sprung to her lips as her mind found  
the right trigger for the technique. Her arms became blurs of motion, her  
knives sliding easily past the guard of her foes. All six fell back, slumping  
to the ground in sprays of blood.  
  
The woman rose from her combat stance, pulling a cloth from her backpack to  
wipe the gore from her blades. "Should've maintained that technique better,"  
she commented to herself, sheathing her blades again. "Didn't realize how use-  
ful it could be...."  
  
As the young martial artist methodically searched the bodies of her fallen ene-  
mies for useful items, one of them, the nasty-voiced leader, opened his eyes.  
Seeing his erstwhile victim's back turned toward him, he grinned evilly and  
reached into his jacket. His hand emerged gripping an old-fashioned American  
...38 caliber pistol. He silently swivelled the barrel to point at the woman's  
exposed back. _Die, bitch._  
  
There was a sharp crack, and the gang leader's gun slipped from nerveless fin-  
gers as he slumped back to the alley's grimy surface, blood already pouring  
from the small hole visible in his forehead.  
  
The scowling woman reholstered her .45 and bent to retrieve the .38 from the  
ground. "Moron," she muttered to the leader's corpse. She checked her new  
pistol's action and sniffed in disgust. _Even had the safety on,_ she thought  
contemptuously. _What an idiot._  
  
She stowed her newly-aquired weapon in her backpack and spent a moment readjus-  
ting the pack more comfortably on her shoulders before stepping towards the  
mouth of the alley. _Well, C-ko,_ she thought to herself. "Why don't we find  
out where we wound up?_  
  
*******  
  
  
Superboy and C-ko strolled down the sidewalk, Superboy looking hiding his bore-  
dom behind his shades as C-ko stopped to press her face against the display  
window of every second or third shop they passed. He was beginning to regret  
agreeing to distract C-ko from worrying about A-ko's illness. While C-ko was  
cute, she could be more than a little grating on one's nerves after a while.  
Superboy wondered how A-ko had been able to tolerate being C-ko's best friend  
for over ten years.  
  
He was distracted from his thoughts by a tap on his shoulder. He turned around  
to see a boy about his own physical age, wearing a yellow shirt and a headband.  
The boy slipped a map out of a side pouch of his backpack and held it in front  
of Superboy's eyes.  
  
"Excuse me, but could you tell me how to find the Tendo Dojo?" the strange boy  
asked. "I'm sure it's nearby...."  
  
Superboy shrugged. "Wish I could help you, dude, but I'm kinda new around here  
too." He turned to C-ko. "Hey, think you can give him a hand?"  
  
"Sure!" C-ko exclaimed, reaching for the map. "I'm great with maps! I'll find  
it for you, for sure!" She peered at the map that the stranger handed her,  
then looked up with a puzzled expression. "Um, this is a map of Tokyo...."  
  
The boy sighed. "Let me guess--this isn't Tokyo, huh? So where am I now?"  
  
Superboy hesitated a moment before answering, "Graviton City."  
  
"I see," the boy replied with resignation. "Sorry to bother you." He passed  
by them as he trudged off.  
  
Superboy and C-ko stared after him as he made an abrupt right turn into a shop  
doorway, then exchanged a glance.  
  
"Weird," they said in unison.  
  
The boy paused suddenly in the middle of the shop. "Graviton City?" he asked  
himself. "Where the hell is that?" He spun on his heel to demand further de-  
tails from the two teenagers that had tried to help him, and tripped over a mop  
bucket, spilling it. He landed in the puddle of water with a small splash.  
  
Superboy and C-ko started as a sudden commotion broke out in the butcher shop  
they had just passed. As they turned back toward the noise, a small black pig-  
let darted out of the doorway, his tiny hooves scrabbling for purchase as it  
made a full-speed ninety-degree turn. As the panicked swine shot past the two,  
a burly man wielding a huge cleaver ran out of the shop, shouting, "Get back  
here, little pig!"  
  
C-ko watched the piglet dash for safety, then turned pleading eyes to Superboy.  
"You gotta save that little piggie! Don't let him get hurt. Please?"  
  
Superboy sighed and stuck a foot out as the burly butcher passed him. As the  
big man fell to the ground, the teenage hero extended his tactile-telekinesis  
to ensure that the cleaver landed well away from anyone else.  
  
"Oops, sorry about that," Superboy said insincerely as he offered the butcher  
a hand up.  
  
The large man batted Superboy's hand away and got to his feet by himself, grow-  
ling at the extremely innocent-looking boy. Seeing that his impromptu cut of  
the day had made good its escape, he retrieved his cleaver and stomped back  
into his shop, muttering what Superboy could only assume to be uncomplimentary  
references to him the whole distance.  
  
"Well, C-ko, how 'bout that? Not bad, huh?" Superboy commented, turning to  
her, only to find her gone. "Hey--where'd you go?"  
  
He discovered the blond girl crouching in a nearby alley, cuddling the little  
black pig to herself. As he approached the pair, he noticed that the piglet  
was wearing a yellow and black bandanna around its neck. _Now why does that  
bandanna look familiar?_ he wondered to himself. He came up beside C-ko and  
said, "Hey--don't thank me or nothing."  
  
C-ko responded by practically thrusting the pig into his face and exclaiming,  
"Isn't he cute?! I'm gonna name him Wilbur, just like the one in the cartoon!"  
  
"Uh, yeah, C-ko--that's great," Superboy said, pulling back a bit so he could  
focus his eyes on the pig. As he did so, he saw the swine's own eyes open  
wide, then narrow in rage. Abruptly, the newly-named Wilbur leapt from C-ko's  
hands onto Superboy's face, scratching furiously while emiting squeals of pure  
anger.  
  
"Hey, the the hell off me!" the surprised Superboy shouted. He finally man-  
aged to grasp the squirming bundle of rage and pried him off his face, exten-  
ding his tactile-telekinesis to hold the little pig paralyzed. He handed him  
back to C-ko, saying, "You better hold on to him tight--I don't think he likes  
me." He glared at Wilbur, muttering under his breath, "First Krypto, now Wil-  
bur. What the hell do animals have against me?"  
  
"C'mon, Superboy--let's take Wilbur home!" C-ko said, already skipping out of  
the alley. "I'm sure he's starving."  
  
'Wilbur' completely missed the sympathetic glance Superboy gave him as he al-  
lowed himself to be carried away by this strange girl. _So, who's this, Sao-  
tome--yet another fiancee in your harem?_ the pig thought. _Yes, I know who  
you are now, Ranma. I won't be fooled by your stupid disguises any more.  
Graviton City, indeed...But I'll play along for now. I don't know what your  
game is, but I vow by my love for Akane that you won't get away with it. Just  
you wait, Ranma...._  
  
As C-ko skipped merrily toward her house, she heard her new pet making an odd  
sound. It almost sounded like someone chuckling.  
  
*******  
  
Who knows where this fanfic will lead? 


End file.
